Each member of every MLB roster simultaneously exists on three parallel planes of existence: The player, the person, and the asset. These spheres of influence move like trains traveling down parallel sets of track, and fans are free to hop between them whenever they please, although the admission price to board the last one includes your soul, so be careful as you take the tour through this article.
There’s often overlap between these realms, but sometimes there’s just not. So when a fault line ruptures, like it did with the Rafael Devers trade on Sunday, it’s worth diving into the stark differences between the worlds, and exploring how the impossible and the ordinary can coexist across places trapped in each other’s gravity.