EARLY BLOCKBUSTER: Boston Red Sox Trade Rafael Devers

What Did the Red Sox Get for Rafael Devers?

The Boston Red Sox get four players in exchange for Devers, which we will dive into, but what they likely sought after more than anything is financial freedom. Devers is a great hitter, but you don’t want to have a contentious relationship with a star player in year two of a 10-year deal.

Especially when you still owe that player north of $250 million.

Having such a large contract certainly made trading Devers more difficult then if he was still under team control through arbitration. Finding a suitor that was willing to eat the deal was really the top priority.

Losing Devers’ bat is going to be a huge blow for the Red Sox lineup, but this a team that needs pitching help, and they are getting that in this deal.

Red Sox Get: LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP Jose Bello, 1B/OF James Tibbs

Kyle Harrison is a 23-year-old left-handed starting pitcher, who made 24 starts last season and pitched to a 4.56 ERA. He has pitched to an identical mark this year across 23 2/3 IP, but was most recently pitching in Triple-A after getting demoted at the end of May.

A former consensus top 100 prospect, the Red Sox are banking on Harrison’s ability to be a back-end starter for them. And one they have control over for the next four and a half seasons.

Along with Harrison, the Red Sox are getting Jordan Hicks, who has struggled to a 6.47 ERA this year. The transition to being a starting pitcher has not worked for Hicks, making this a bit of a salary dump going the other way from the Giants.

Beyond this season, Hicks is still owed $25 million of his four-year, $44 million deal, as he will make $12.5 million a year in 2026 and 2027. There is upside for Hicks if he can get back to being the solid high-leverage reliever we saw pitch to a 3.29 ERA back in 2023, but even then, a $12.5 million price tag is a bit expensive for a reliever unless they are closing games.

Along with the two MLB arms, the Red Sox are getting a pitching prospect in this deal with 20-year-old Dominican right-hander Jose Bello. Bello is pitching to a 2.50 ERA in the Arizona Complex League with 28 strikeouts and just three walks in 18 innings pitched.

Finally, the Red Sox are getting the Giants’ first round pick from last year in James Tibbs. Drafted 13th overall out of FSU in last July’s draft, Tibbs has moved between the corner outfield spots and first base so far in his professional career, and has showcased plenty of power so far.

Through 56 games played at High-A this season, Tibbs has 12 home runs and an .857 OPS.

Again, the most important thing for the Red Sox is moving off Devers’ money, and continuing to lean into their youth movement with the top prospect in baseball now up in Roman Anthony, who could certainly soak up some DH at-bats once Wilyer Abreu returns off the IL.

Boston also gets two arms they can plug into their roster right now, and a few prospects who have plenty of upside to dream on.

What Are the Giants Getting in This Deal?

As the old saying goes, “whoever gets the superstar wins the trade”. That is certainly the case for the San Francisco Giants here, as they are clearly going for it by making this trade.

Say what you want about his long-term defensive home, if there is one thing that Raffy Devers does, it’s rake. It might be crazy to say this is the best slugger the Giants have had since Barry Bonds, but considering the fact that they have not had a 30-HR hitter since him, that statement may hold some merit.

Plugging Devers into the three-hole of a lineup that includes Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos gives the Giants a chance to win right now. They were already only one game back of the Dodgers in the NL West, and now they have even a better puncher’s chance to win that division.

The Giants have gotten great pitching this year, and not from the two guys they are including in this trade. There is a chance that Tibbs or Bello could make this a solid trade for the Red Sox, but the Giants get the plug-and-play Silver Slugger and they don’t give up any piece that was helping them win so far this year.

We will see if the Giants continue to be aggressive or if this was their one and only big move. Even if it was, there is a chance this is enough to get the Giants where they want to be this season. For Boston, this about moving into a new era of Red Sox baseball, with a clean slate financially.

The Red Sox are an interesting team to watch at the deadline, because they could have a lot to sell if things don’t break their way over the next month and a half.