Rafael Devers Trade Shakes NL West, Makes D-backs Season Tougher

They currently hold the lead in the season series against San Francisco, taking the series at Oracle Park last month. There are 10 remaining games left between the two teams. The next series between the two teams is a midweek series at Chase Field, June 30-July 3.

Devers has only played seven games against Arizona in his career, hitting .167 with a home run and a .602 OPS. That homer came last season at Fenway Park against Merrill Kelly. FanGraphs Rest of Season Depth Chart Projections forecast a .262/.356/.481 slash line with 17 homers and 51 RBI over 86 games.

Kelly had a chance to react to the news Sunday, as he was pitching that afternoon for Arizona.

"He's a good player. Obviously the Giants are in a good spot right now, they're clearly trying to go for it. More power to them, more power to their front office for making a big move like that. Everyone saw what was going on with Raffy and Boston, and I think they decided to part ways with him. That will add more excitement to the NL West."

Both Lovullo and Kelly noted that the trade has raised the ante for the Diamondbacks in 2025. After a World Series appearance in 2023, they missed the postseason on a tiebreaker the following season. With the team off to a slow start in a much more competitive division, the margin of error this season has significantly decreased.

Arizona dug a pretty deep hole in May. On May 30, they were sitting at 27-31, and their season was in a downward spiral. They've picked it up since, going 9-4 with three series wins. That run has put more confidence in the club that they can compete for a playoff spot instead of shifting focus to 2026.

The Diamondbacks have their work cut out for them. Their pitching staff has given up the fourth-most runs per game this season (5.15). The team ERA of 4.77 and park-adjust ERA+ of 87 both rank 24th out of 30 teams. Pitching and defense have been a clear weakness of the club, with injuries exposing their pitching depth.

General manager Mike Hazen has begun openly talking about being potential buyers at the trade deadline. The next 10 series, many of which are coming against teams below them in the standings, will likely determine their approach.

If the Diamondbacks decide to buy, the first area to address is the bullpen. The two biggest needs are getting a high-leverage lefty and a closer to replace A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. The former has become even more important, as Arizona will have to deal with Devers, Ohtani, and Freeman with the game on the line.

That won't come cheap, as every contender is looking to add that type of arm to their bullpen. As we've seen in their 2023 run, having a stable bullpen is key if they want to make any noise in September and October.