After sweeping the New York Yankees to get back over .500 and into the AL Wild Card hunt, the Boston Red Sox abruptly traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison along with minor league pitcher Jose Bello and outfielder/first base prospect Jason Tibbs.
During the off-season, controversy ensued when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman with the club forcing Devers into the DH role. The club then subsequently asked Devers to first base when Tristan Casas went down with a season ending knee injury which Devers declined.
Despite the controversy, Devers was having an outstanding season hitting .272 with 15 HR and 58 RBI. Devers homered during today's sweep of the Yankees. That HR was his 500th career extra base hit with the Red Sox and, as it turned out, his last.
His 58 RBI are 2nd in the AL - only two behind likely AL MVP Aaron Judge. Devers was leading the AL in walks with 56 at the time of the trade.
Devers had been a member of the Red Sox since he was signed as an amateur free agent in 2013. He made his MLB debut with the Sox in 2017 and has been a mainstay since earning a World Series ring in 2018 and a contract extension worth more than $300 million prior to last season that was supposed to keep him in Boston through 2033. He finishes his Red Sox career with a lifetime batting average of .279 with 215 HR and 696 RBI. Those 215 HR were good enough for 10th on the Red Sox all-time list.
Perhaps Devers and the Red Sox had a short shelf life, but trading Devers makes it seem like Craig Breslow was acting for personal reasons rather than on stats or the interest of the team in 2025. After the way the Red Sox treated Devers, I doubt any Dominican free agents are going to want to go anywhere near Boston.
Frankly, I don't think the Red Sox got much for Devers. I mean Hicks was a top prospect with the Cardinals a few years back but hasn't lived up to his potential in St. Louis, Toronto or in San Francisco where he was converted into a starter. It will be interesting to see if Hicks remains a starting pitcher or is placed back into the bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Giants who are only a game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West just got a lot better and could very well overtake the Dodgers with Devers' presence alone. For their part, the Giants have also agreed to cover the cost of Devers' remaining contract. At 28, Devers is entering the prime of his career. On the other hand, will that contract feel heavier by 2030? But at least in the short term, the Giants have grown leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, the Red Sox appear to have taken two steps back after taking one step forward back into contention.
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