The Boston Red Sox have traded three-time All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants as part of a five-player swap. In exchange for the 28-year-old Devers, the Giants sent right-hander Jordan Hicks, lefty Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and minor league righty Jose Bello to Boston.
Devers is batting .272 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 73 games. He signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox in 2023, but his relationship with the team began deteriorating after the Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training, and asked Devers to move to DH.
The Giants will pay the entirety of Devers’ deal, with the slugger still owed more than $250 million. The Red Sox will pay the rest of Hicks’ four-year, $44 million contract, with 2 ½ years remaining.
The deal sent shockwaves throughout the league, with Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey stating that his interest in Devers stemmed from his potent offense. Posey told reporters Sunday night: “the bat is so special .. It’s just really hard to acquire this type of talent at this point of his career. We’re obviously taking on a lot of money. We’re giving up some pitching, we’re giving up our first-round pick last year, so it didn’t come without a cost. It felt like this was a chance to take a shot.”
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