The Red Sox parted ways with Rafael Devers on Sunday, sending the talented slugger to the Giants in exchange for a treasure trove of youngsters. The baseball world was left in a frenzy as a result.
Devers enjoyed a wondrous tenure in Beantown, hosting a World Series title in 2018 while garnering three All-Star appearances and two Silver Sluggers. And yet, things turned sour rather quickly, with the hometown slugger going from zero to hero within months.
Devers’ exit landed Boston a constellation of notable young players, including former top-30 prospect Kyle Harrison, but was it enough to make Devers’ exit worth it? Here’s what you need to know.
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Rafael Devers trade grades
Giants receive:
Red Sox receive:
- P Kyle Harrison
- P Jordan Hicks
- OF James Tibbs III
- P Jose Bello
Giants grade: A
San Francisco has been searching for a star bat for some time, coming up short in pursuits for Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, and Shohei Ohtani in recent seasons. Devers’ arrival should help heal that pain, at least for a fleeting moment.
The 28-year-old might not have the top-level talent of the likes of Judge or Ohtani, but he’s a gifted batter on pace to string together the best season of his career. Devers led the AL in walks at the time of the trade, and his 149 OPS+ would represent a new career high if he were to maintain it for the remainder of the year. He’s not a great defender by any measure, but Matt Chapman is, allowing Devers to do what he does best — wield the lumber as a designated hitter.
Devers is one of baseball’s best hitters. His improved eye suggests he’s getting better, too, and he did all that while being encroached — and eventually displaced — by Alex Bergman at the hot corner.
Hicks was a net negative across 13 appearances, so his departure shouldn’t be too damaging to San Francisco’s rotation this year. Bello, Harrison, and Tibbs are highly-touted prospects — Bello has a 2.97 ERA and 105 strikeouts across 78.2 innings of minor league ball, while Harrison and Tibbs climbed to the top of the Giants’ prospect leaderboard in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Nevertheless, Devers is a proven commodity at the big-league level. San Francisco should be able to build around him for much of the next decade, and this move gives it the big bat it so desperately needs to pair with its elite pitching staff. The Giants have gone from “nice story” to “real contender” in the NL.
Red Sox grade: C+
Devers was open about his frustration with his longtime organization in the lead-up to his departure. That seemed to have played a role in his shock exit. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Boston didn’t shop the disgruntled third baseman, instead taking the first offer they got for him.
Reports emerged suggesting the Red Sox were unwilling to shell out the remainder of Devers’ 10-year, $313.5 million contract given his lack of leadership and communication with the team. To that end, perhaps the trade is a godsend, as Boston won’t be liable for any of the remaining $250 million in value owed to Devers.
Still, the move seems underwhelming for a Red Sox side that entered the season with hopes of competing.
Boston has a host of talented prospects in its ranks, with Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer all expected to make a mark at the big-league level. That glistening prospect pool got all the more loaded with Harrison, the No. 23 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s top-100 list last year, and Tibbs, who posted an .857 OPS with 12 homers in Advanced-A ball this season.
That’s all well and good, but Devers is one of baseball’s best left-handed hitters. The likelihood that any of those players reaches his stature seems low. Further, Devers’ age made him not only a pivotal member of Boston’s present but its future, too.
Anthony, Campbell, Mayer, Harrison, and Tibbs is an intriguing collection of talent. Perhaps some of those players break out and make Red Sox fans forget about Devers’ unruly exit. Maybe a few could even be packaged to secure another high-quality bat in the future.
But for now, the trade feels like a step backward. For a franchise with the prestige of the Red Sox, that just won’t cut it.
