BOSTON — The Boston Pink Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in a deal that might shake up pennant races on each coasts.
Devers’ agent, Nelson Montes de Oca, confirmed the deal to The Related Press. ESPN reported that the Giants are sending Boston a bundle of gamers that features pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison for the 28-year-old designated hitter, who had bristled at his demotion from third base this 12 months.
The Giants had been one recreation behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers heading into Sunday night time’s matchup between the NL West rivals. San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames mentioned on the ESPN broadcast that the workforce came upon in regards to the commerce 15-20 minutes earlier than the sport.
“Everyone’s so excited,” he mentioned in an on-field interview whereas enjoying the sector within the second inning. “Me, personally, I’m like thrilled to have him on the workforce. He’s top-of-the-line hitters within the recreation, and to have him on the workforce, I believe goes to assist us do lots of harm within the division. Clearly we want a bat like him on this lineup.”
A 3-time All-Star who signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Pink Sox in 2023, Devers is batting .272 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 73 video games, together with a solo shot in Boston’s 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday that accomplished a three-game sweep.
However his relationship with the workforce started to deteriorate when the workforce signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman throughout spring coaching and requested Devers to maneuver to DH; he balked earlier than agreeing to the swap. When first baseman Triston Casas sustained a season-ending knee harm, the Pink Sox approached Devers about enjoying the sector and he declined, saying the entrance workplace “ought to do their jobs” and search for one other participant.
A day after Devers’ feedback to the media about enjoying first, Pink Sox proprietor John Henry, workforce president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas Metropolis to fulfill with Devers and supervisor Alex Cora.
The state of affairs turned harder when Bregman sustained what the workforce known as a big proper quadriceps harm on Might 23.
“Everyone across the league, I believe, was taking note of that. When any workforce is having some form of drama like that, with a participant like Devers — he mainly was the face of the franchise,” Adames mentioned earlier than he was interrupted by Tommy Edman’s residence run that gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
“We’re thrilled to have him. Everyone’s excited. So we’re going to make him really feel at residence,” Adames mentioned. “I really feel prefer it sends a message that we’re going to compete. That we’re going to do no matter it takes to return over right here and win the division.”
The Pink Sox have received 5 out of six towards the rival Yankees over the past two weekends to enhance to 37-36, however they’re nonetheless fourth within the AL East, 6 1/2 video games behind division-leading New York.
Devers was 20 when he made his main league debut with the Pink Sox in 2017. He helped the Pink Sox win the 2018 World Collection and led the workforce in RBIs for 5 consecutive seasons from 2020-24. He has completed within the prime 20 in voting for AL MVP 5 instances.
Devers just isn’t the primary Pink Sox All-Star to be traded away: The workforce despatched Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier than the 2020 season in a wage dump — only a 12 months after he received the AL MVP award and led Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and its fourth World Collection title since 2004.
However the Devers deal is maybe most paying homage to the 2004 midseason shakeup when Boston traded disgruntled shortstop — and fan favourite — Nomar Garciaparra to Minnesota.
The Pink Sox went on to win the World Collection that 12 months, ending their 86-year championship drought.
That is the newest huge transfer by Buster Posey, a seven-time All-Star who took over as San Francisco’s president of baseball operations in September. He signed Justin Verlander to a $15 million, one-year contract in January and Adames to a $182 million, seven-year deal in December.
“It makes them higher proper now, for positive,” Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw mentioned in a TV interview from the dugout at Dodger Stadium. “Buster Posey’s actually doing it. Good for Buster over there. He’s going for it. I’d take into account Raffy one of many prime 10 hitters within the recreation, at worst. He’s positively a game-changer. It is going to be fascinating to see what place he performs over there.”
