Padres Inquired About Rafael Devers Before Red Sox Traded Him to Giants

The Giants sent left-hander Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and 20-year-old reliever Jose Bello to the Red Sox for the two-time Silver Slugger. McAdam says the Padres were not as motivated as the Giants to complete the move.

Devers started 2025 slowly, failing to get a hit in any of his first 21 at bats this season. He has since ramped up his production, batting .272 and leading the American League in walks with 56. His 58 runs batted in this season trail only Pete Alonso and Aaron Judge in MLB. He has a .905 OPS, which would be his highest in a season since 2019.

While Devers is a fantastic addition to any roster, the Padres have the third base and designated hitter positions locked down with All-Star Manny Machado and surprise offseason addition Gavin Sheets, though the latter has spent most of his time in left field as of late, creating other openings around the diamond.

Left field is where the biggest question mark comes up for the Padres, as Sheets is not considered to be the permanent option. Jason Heyward served as the everyday left fielder after the Padres traded Connor Joe to the Cincinati Reds, but he is currently serving time on the injured list for the second time this season.

The Padres have improved in offensive production in left field and no longer sit at the bottom of MLB in any offensive category for that position. An upgrade is still needed, however, as they still linger in the bottom five among MLB left fielders in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage.

The Padres currently trail the second-place Giants in the NL West by one game, and are three back from the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres won't see the Giants until they play two series in a week in mid-August, but are heading into a four-game set against the Dodgers on Monday, during which they could erase the gap between themselves and the 2024 World Series champions.

They will face Shohei Ohtani on the mound for the first time since 2023 at 7:10 p.m. PT.

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