The Boston Red Sox were hoping to get one player from the San Francisco Giants in return for Rafael Devers, but ultimately had to settle for something else.
The Red Sox turned Major League Baseball on its head by trading Devers to the Giants in a blockbuster deal. Boston didn’t get any of San Francisco’s top-three prospects, but the Red Sox had been pushing to acquire Bryce Eldridge, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
“It took nearly four weeks of negotiations to agree on the player package,” Baggarly wrote. “In the early stages, the Red Sox insisted upon 20-year-old first base prospect Bryce Eldridge, but the Giants refused to consider including him in the deal. When the talks began to gain considerable momentum, Posey took the matter to Giants chairman Greg Johnson.”
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Eldridge is San Francisco’s top-ranked prospect and was drafted 13th overall in 2023. The slugging first baseman is currently playing in Triple-A, but has struggled since being called up.
Although the Red Sox weren’t able to acquire Eldridge, Boston still got San Francisco’s fourth-ranked prospect, James Tibbs III as part of the deal as well as Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, and Jose Bello.
Despite the Red Sox landing Eldridge or any of San Francisco’s top-three ranked prospects, Boston got off of Devers’ entire contract, which gives them more flexibility.
More MLB: Giants’ Bryce Eldridge proves he’s the other best part of the Rafael Devers trade
