The Boston Red Sox have traded designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for two MLB players and two prospects.
With the deal now officially completed, Boston will acquire LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, OF James Tibbs III, and RHP Jose Bello. The Giants will assume all of Devers’ contract which will pay him in excess of $250M through 2033.
“To get a guy like Devers … there’s a lot you have to give up for him, but this fits us perfectly,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin. “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 3x All-Star, the 28 year old slugger is a career .279 hitter, with 215 HRs, and 696 RBIs to his name. Devers took home Silver Slugger awards in both 2021 and 2023, and will instantly upgrade a Giants lineup that was in need of power from the left side of the plate.
In fact, Devers’ 15 home runs this year are 1 more than all left handed batters on the Giants roster have hit combined. The Giants currently rank 14th in runs per game at 4.29 per contest, but figure to see this total trend upwards with their new acquisition.
San Francisco currently sits just 2 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for top spot in the NL West at 41-31. But as always, the division is tightly packed with both San Diego and Arizona each within 4.5 games of the Giants heading into Monday’s slate of games.
It will be interesting to monitor how the Giants ultimately deploy Devers on the west coast. A large reason why the native of Sanchez, Dominican Republic was available was because the Red Sox mishandled his usage to kick off the season.
The club initially relegated Devers from starting 3B duties, to DH after acquiring Alex Bregman in the offseason. Then, because of a season ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas, Devers was asked to play 1B, which he promptly refused to do.
In all likelihood, we’ll now see a steady stream of behind the scenes issues begin to get aired out from the beat writers in Boston. But it still doesn’t answer the question of where Devers will play in San Francisco.
The most likely situation is that he will remain a DH for the club. However with Matt Chapman on the injured list, there’s an immediate need for help at 3rd base. Dominic Smith is currently pencilled in at first base for the team, though it’s not like he has a strangle hold on the position at the moment.
If anything can be taken way from how the Red Sox mishandled the situation with Devers in the early going it’s that wherever the slugger is asked to play initially, should be where the club keeps him for the duration of the season. Taken through that lens, it’s hard to envision Devers usurping Matt Chapman’s Gold Glove defence at 3rd base. Especially when one remembers that he’s signed to a 6 year $151M contract of his own.
However that’s a luxury problem that president of baseball operations Buster Posey is happy to have. “We’re excited about adding one of the best hitters in all of Major League Baseball to our lineup,” Posey told reporters. “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 to keep winning ballgames, get into the playoffs and try to win a World Series, which is our ultimate goal.”
Coming back the other way is once highly touted pitching prospect Kyle Harrison who has a 4.48 ERA over 182.2 innings since debuting with the Giants in 2023. He’s racked up 178 Ks during that time, walked 62 and allowed 30 home runs.
Still only 23 years old, Harrison could be a nice piece for a Red Sox starting rotation that has struggled out of the gates in 2025. Following news of the deal, Harrison was optioned to Triple-A Worcester to get in some reps and work with the team’s pitching coaches.
Jordan Hicks has oscillated between starter and reliever over the course of his big league career. One of the hardest throwing pitchers in all of baseball, Hicks has spent time as both a starter in San Francisco, and closer with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Boston needs help with both their starting rotation and bullpen, but won’t need to make any decisions on Hicks’ deployment quite yet, as the RHP is currently on the 15-day IL with inflammation in his right big toe. He has however already progressed to bullpen sessions, so a return to MLB action isn’t too far off.
Tibbs was the Giants top pick, 13th overall, from last year’s MLB Draft, so he comes with some high upside, but is likely a ways away from contributing at the Major League level. Currently hitting .245/.377/.480 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs in 56 games at High-A, the Florida State product figures to enter the Red Sox top prospects list eventually.
Meanwhile, the 20 year old Bello has spent the season as a reliever for the Giants’ Rookie League affiliate, mowing down 28 hitters across just 18 innings. Even more encouraging is the fact that he’s walked only 3 batters during this span en route to a 2.00 ERA. Much like Tibbs however, he’s in need of additional seasoning before he can begin sniffing an MLB roster spot.
All in all it’s a trade you’re likely to see a small to mid-size market team make. Acquire young cost controlled talent that can help out the roster immediately, while restocking the cupboards with prospects for the future.
That will likely do little to calm the nerves of the Red Sox faithful who are still smarting from the infamous Mookie Betts trade back in 2020 though.
Boston is next in action Monday night against the Seattle Mariners, while San Francisco has the day off before taking on Cleveland at home on Tuesday.
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.