BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Dates for the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, potentially rocking the pennant race on both coasts.
Devers’ agent Nelson Montes de Oca has confirmed the contract with the Associated Press. ESPN reported that the Giants are sending a package of players to Boston, including pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, for the 28-year-old designated batsman who has been struggling with relegation from this year’s 3 base.
The Giants were one game behind No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers heading for Sunday night matchups between the NL West Rivals. San Francisco shortstop Willie Adams said on the ESPN broadcast that the team found out about the deal 15-20 minutes before the match.
“Everyone is very excited,” he said in an interview on the field that he played the field in two innings. “Personally, I’m excited to put him on the team. He’s one of the best batsmen in the game and getting him on the team will help us do a lot of damage in the division. Obviously, we need a bat like him in this lineup.”
Devers, a three-time All-star who signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox in 2023, has hit .272 with 15 Homer and 58 RBIs in 73 games.
However, their relationship with the team began to get worse when the team signed Gold Glove’s third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked him to move on to DH. He alked before agreeing to the Switch. When Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the field, and the front office said “should do work” and turned him down when he looked for another player.
The day after Devers’ comments to the media about their first performance, Red Sox owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet Devers and manager Alex Cora.
Things got even more difficult when the team maintained what they called a serious right quadriceps injury on May 23rd.
“I think everyone around the league was paying attention to it. When any team has such drama with players like Devers, he was basically the face of the franchise,” Adames said before being interrupted by a home run by Tommy Edman, who gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
“We’re excited to have him. Everyone is excited, so it makes him feel like he’s at home,” Adames said. “It feels like we’re sending a message that we’re competing. We’re going to do whatever it takes to come here and win the division.”
The Red Sox have improved to 37-36 by winning five of the six against rival Yankees over the past two weeks, but are 6 1/2 games behind New York, who is fourth in the AL East and leading the division.
Devers was 20 years old when he made his major league debut at Red Sox in 2017. He won the 2018 World Series by Red Sox and led the team in RBI for five consecutive seasons from 2020 to 24. He finished five times in the top 20 in the AL MVP poll.
Devers is not the first Red Sox All-Star to be traded. The team sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in pay dumps before the 2020 season. He won the ALMVP Award and led Boston to his franchise record 108 wins and his fourth World Series title since 2004.
But Devers’ deal is perhaps most reminiscent of a 2004 midseason shakeup when Boston traded his disgruntled shortstop and fan favorites for Minnesota.
The Red Sox won the World Series that year and ended the ’86 Championship drought.
This is the latest big move by seven-time All-star Buster Posey, who took over as president of San Francisco’s baseball business in September. He signed a one-year contract for Justin Verlander for $15 million in January and a seven-year contract for $182 million in December.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said in a television interview from the Dodger Stadium dugout “It certainly makes them better.” “Buster Posey is really doing it. It’s good for Busters over there. He’s aiming for it. At worst, I think he’s one of the top 10 batters in the game. He’s definitely a game changer.
