The Rafael Devers Trade: One Year of Regrets?
Rafael Devers arrived on the scene for the Boston Red Sox on July 25, 2017, as a rebuilt roster featuring an emerging Mookie Betts returned to the postseason for the second time in a three-season span, culminating in their fourth World Series title in a 15-year span.
Devers really announced his arrival by hitting a 103 mph fastball from Aroldis Chapman at Yankee Stadium for a tying homer a few weeks later,and it seemed like he was going to become another franchise icon for the Red Sox in the same vein as David Ortiz.
He especially seemed destined to finish his career as a Red Sox legend by signing an 11-year, $331 million deal in Jan. 2023.
The move was done to avoid the same scenario unfolding as Xander Bogaerts bolted to the Padres for an 11-year, $280 million deal a few weeks earlier. However, two seasons into the contract, Devers became another player to have a bad exit from Boston, getting traded to San Francisco a year ago.
The path to trading Devers
There is little doubt that many outside of Boston hoped the Red Sox would part ways with Devers, perhaps notably Gerrit Cole. Cole's frustration at not being able to get Devers out is so well-documented that in Sept. 2024, he intentionally walked him with nobody on after allowing another homer to the slugger.
Cole (and nobody else) thought that nine months later, Devers would not be on the Red Sox anymore.
The seeds of Devers' exit were sown when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to play third base to give them better defense at the position. The initial plan was to move Devers to designated hitter, and that seemed fine.
Then Tristan Casas sustained a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee, and the Red Sox asked Devers about playing first base. It seemed a solid idea, given Devers was hitting .383 in a 12-game span, and had spent his career on the infield.
Unfortunately, those plans hit a major snag when Devers refused to make the move, ultimately leading the Red Sox to become more open to moving him. Ultimately, the BoSox traded him to the Giants after beating the Yankees on June 15, 2025, in exchange for two minor leaguers (Jose Bello, James Tibbs III) and pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks.
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Devers' impact for the Giants is mixed
In his first 90 games for the Giants after the trade, Devers batted .236 with 20 homers and 51 RBIs to go along with an .807 OPS. In 72 games this season, he is batting .235 with nine homers, 33 RBIs, and a .706 OPS.
Those numbers combine into a full-162 season, leaving Devers as a .235 hitter with 29 homers and 84 RBIs. The power numbers are respectable, given that the RBIs may be reflective of batting in an offense struggling to get on base. However, the batting average is worrisome, given it's 44 points lower than Devers' 1,053 regular-season games in Boston.
Perhaps even more frustrating is his ability to hit consistently in his home ballpark, which is considered a pitcher's park but also somewhat favorable to left-handed hitters.
Last season, Devers batted .234 in 48 home games, and this season he is a .225 hitter in 34 home games.
Making matters worse for the Giants is their ugly 29-43 record, which means trade speculation season is upon us. On Monday night, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the Giants were open to offers to their highest-paid position players, which obviously includes Devers.
Did the Red Sox get the better deal?
While the Red Sox returned to the playoffs despite the trade, thanks to Bregman's solid performance and Garrett Crochet's mound dominance, Harrison and Hicks were not major contributors.
The Red Sox gave Harrison three games totaling 12 innings, which is hardly enough to draw a conclusion. Then they traded him to Milwaukee in a six-player deal that netted Caleb Durbin for third base after Bregman failed to return.
Since then, Harrison is 8-1 and a strong All-Star possibility for the Brewers, while Durbin is hitting .194; perhaps Boston sports anchors are lamenting "why can't the Red Sox get guys like that" in reference to Harrison.
As for Hicks, he had an 8.20 ERA in 21 appearances for the Red Sox and was traded to the White Sox in February.
In the minors, Bello is in Single-A, and Tibbs is hitting .307 in Triple-A for the Dodgers, who acquired him at last year's trade deadline for Dustin May.
So was this trade a bust for both teams?
Given the middling performance of both teams, neither can claim victory.
Perhaps the only people who can are those working in Boston's payroll department who no longer have to cut a massive check to Devers, since the Giants agreed to take on the remaining $250 million on his deal at the time of the trade.
Besides neither team winning the trade, both sides are feeling the heat in the front office. Buster Posey is facing criticism for hiring Tony Vitello and passing over other experienced managers in favor of the former University of Tennessee manager.
The Red Sox are fortunate to be in the mediocre American League. While the Giants entered Monday nine games out of the final wild card spot, the Red Sox are five out.
Five games out is not necessarily insurmountable, but the Red Sox are hardly instilling confidence that they will be among the six playoff teams. Their 29-40 record is part of a rough year for public perception, with the firing of manager Alex Cora on April 25 and the various criticisms of Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.
The heat seemed to increase when team president Sam Kennedy recently said the team might have to pivot if things don't improve. Reading between the lines suggests those remarks might impact Breslow, but either way, the surprising trade has not worked out for anyone, and both teams are experiencing painful showings this season.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 5:07 AM.