The Boston Red Sox traded slugger Rafael Devers to theSan Francisco Giantson Sunday in a deal that could shake up pennant races on both coasts.
San Francisco sent right-hander Jordan Hicks, lefty Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and minor league righty Jose Bello to Boston for the 28-year-old designated hitter, who had bristled at his demotion from third base this year.
The Giants are two games back of NL West-leading Los Angeles after losing 5-4 to the Dodgers on Sunday night.
Harrison was on his way to the bullpen to warm up for Sunday’s start when he was called back to the clubhouse and informed of the trade. Reliever Sean Hjelle was told about 30 minutes before first pitch that he would start.
“Yeah, it was a lot, and it was late, but you know what? This is something we really needed,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “To get a guy like Devers … there’s a lot you have to give up for him, but this fits us perfectly. It’s a power left-handed bat, a guy that can go the other way and hit for power in our ballpark. I mean, it’s tailor-made for us, so kudos to the front office to swing this.”A three-time All-Star who signed a 10-year, $313.5m contract with the Red Sox in 2023, Devers is batting .272 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 73 games, including a solo shot in Boston’s 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday that completed a three-game sweep.
But his relationship with the team began to deteriorate when the team signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to DH; he balked before agreeing to the switch. When first baseman Triston Casas sustained a season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the field and he declined, saying the front office “ should do their jobs ” and look for another player.
A day after Devers’ comments to the media about playing first, Red Sox owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers and manager Alex Cora. The situation became more difficult when Bregman sustained a significant quadriceps injury on 23 May.
“Everybody around the league, I think, was paying attention to that. When any team is having some kind of drama like that, with a player like Devers – he basically was the face of the franchise,” San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames said in an on-field interview during the ESPN broadcast.
Buster Posey, a seven-time All-Star who took over as San Francisco’s president of baseball operations in September, said he reached out to Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer, about two weeks ago. Trade talks picked up momentum over the past few days.
Posey and Melvin declined to address what position Devers would play in San Francisco – “That’s a conversation for myself, Bob and [general manager Zack Minasian] to have with him,” Posey said – but they are convinced Devers’ bat will have a significant impact on a lineup that has produced only 16 homers from the left side this season.
“We’re excited about adding one of the best hitters in all of major league baseball to our lineup,” Posey said. “We’re obviously taking on a lot of dollars, but there’s a belief that adding a guy like this puts us in a good position keep winning ballgames, get into the playoffs and try to win a World Series, which is our ultimate goal.”
The Red Sox have won five out of six against the rival Yankees over the last two weekends to improve to 37-36, but they are still fourth in the AL East, 6.5 games behind division-leading New York.
Devers was 20 when he made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2017. He helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series and led the team in RBIs for five consecutive seasons from 2020-24. He has finished in the top 20 in voting for AL MVP five times.
The Giants have lacked slugging since Barry Bonds hit 45 homers in 2004; they are the only team in the majors who have not had a batter hit 30 homers since then. Devers has hit at least 30 homers in three different seasons.
“It’s tough losing [Harrison and Hicks] … but we’re getting a guy back who changes the lineup, who’s probably a top-10 hitter in baseball every year,” Giants pitcher Logan Webb said. “Any time you add a player of that caliber, I think you give yourself a chance every day.
I don’t know where he’s gonna hit, but I don’t think it really matters. The guy’s a stud, plain and simple. I’m excited about it.”
Devers is not the first Red Sox All-Star to be traded away: The team sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2020 season in a salary dump – just a year after he won the AL MVP award and led Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and its fourth World Series title since 2004.
But the Devers deal is perhaps most reminiscent of the 2004 midseason shakeup when Boston traded disgruntled shortstop – and fan favorite – Nomar Garciaparra. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series that year, ending their 86-year championship drought.
The acquisition of Devers is the latest big move by Posey, 38. He signed Justin Verlander to a $15m, one-year contract in January and Adames to a $182m, seven-year deal in December.
Harrison, 23, is 9-9 with a 4.48 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 39 games for the Giants over three seasons. Hicks, 28, was 5-12 with a 4.83 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 42 games over two seasons. Tibbs, 22, was the 13th overall pick in last year’s draft; he is hitting .246 with 12 homers and 32 RBIs in 57 games for Single-A Eugene of the Northwest League this season. Bello, 20, is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in eight games for the Giants’ rookie league team in Scottsdale, Arizona.