Does Trading for Rafael Devers Solidify the Giants as Contenders?
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
The San Francisco Giants have pulled off one of the most shocking trades in recent MLB history. Rafael Devers is headed west, dealt from the Boston Red Sox to the Giants in a move no one saw coming.
This seismic shift signals a bold statement from the new president of baseball operations, Buster Posey. In his first year, Posey isn’t easing in; he’s making waves. Acquiring Devers sends a clear message: the Giants aim to win now.
San Francisco’s pitching staff has been one of the league’s best, but the offense has lagged. Despite clutch moments, the lineup lacked a true impact bat. Devers’s changes that instantly.
What Devers Brings to the Giants
Devers is one of the game’s elite hitters, a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and legitimate power threat. Since 2018, excluding the 2020 season, he’s averaged nearly 30 homers a year. With 15 already in 2025, he’s on pace for another big season.
His offensive profile goes beyond power. Devers is a career .279 hitter with a peak of .311 in 2019. He’s also refined his plate discipline, walking at a career-best 16.8% clip this season. His balanced approach and evolving skill set make him a franchise cornerstone.
While Oracle Park isn’t known for favoring sluggers, Devers’s power isn’t just about brute force—it’s sustainable and refined. The Giants are taking on a hefty financial commitment (over $250 million remaining), which reshapes the team’s identity. Pairing Devers with Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos, and Jung Hoo Lee gives San Francisco a formidable and expensive—but highly talented—core.
Devers’s presence also eases the burden on Adames, who has struggled to justify his previous franchise-record contract. With Devers in the heart of the order, San Francisco’s lineup finally has its anchor.
The only real question is where Devers fits defensively. Chapman’s glove isn’t moving from third, so first base or designated hitter seems most likely. Posey and manager Bob Melvin have remained tight-lipped.
Giants fans will remember where they were when this trade went down. It’s a franchise-altering moment.
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