There’s no question the San Francisco Giants have played themselves into serious playoff contention this season, but they officially etched their name as October favorites after stunning the baseball world by acquiring All-Star Rafael Devers from the Red Sox in a blockbuster deal on Sunday.
Left-handed starter Kyle Harrison and reliever Jordan Hicks are heading to Boston, along with two prospects — outfielder James Tibbs III and righty Jose Bello. The Giants will take on the entirety of Devers’ eight years, with $313.5 million remaining on his contract.
The stunning swap was first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. The two teams announced the deal a few hours later.
San Francisco entered Sunday one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West — a testament to not only the Dodgers’ always-crumbling health, but also the Giants' resilient consistency that has brought an aggressive action-taking demeanor upon president of baseball operations Buster Posey. It’s crystal clear that Posey appears restless and bold in his inaugural season at the organization’s helm, and in a welcoming way.
“It’s time to go,” Posey told reporters after shaking up the roster on June 4. “We all believe we’re better than what we’ve been the last two or three weeks. It’s time to go.”
And they went.
Any lasting concern Giants fans may have that Posey shares any resemblance with his predecessor, Farhan Zaidi, has been viciously destroyed. Although Zaidi pulled the trigger on acquiring Kris Bryant from the Chicago Cubs in 2021, a trade of this magnitude — one where a win-now culture is now cemented — was far outside any and all possibilities. Not only did they lack clarity in the organization’s future to part with young players under Zaidi, but they also lacked spine.
Brian Sabean dealing Matt Williams to Cleveland following the 1996 season might’ve been the last move that has carried this amount of impact.
Devers, 28, is one of baseball’s premier left-handed hitters. In 2025, he’s rocked a .271/.400/.494 slash line with 14 homers, 47 RBI, an .894 OPS and 145 wRC+. He’s been a third baseman since debuting in 2017, but was asked to switch to first base this season with Boston’s offseason signing of Alex Bregman — not exactly a move Devers favored or particularly cared for in private and public comments.
The Giants will have a middle-of-the-order bopper from the left side for a handful of years to come, a significant development for a team constantly unable to attract free-agent sluggers to willingly waive their hesitancy of hitting at the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park.
Devers might play first for now, but with fast-rising prospect Bryce Eldridge on the way, a decision might have to be made sooner rather than later on which of the two will play first or serve as the primary designated hitter — Devers’ contract makes him an expensive bat-only profile while developing Eldridge without his defense is likely even more of a long-term risk.
Another bonus: Devers entering the Giants lineup roughly a month and a half before the July 31 trading deadline — a chance for him to contribute even longer than a usual deadline addition. Don't think this doesn't matter. It's even more proof of Posey's restlessness.
Trades in baseball are difficult to assess immediately, but jumping the gun to portray Posey as having “fleeced” the Red Sox isn’t completely unreasonable.
Harrison, 23, is a big league rotation staple at his best with a possible ceiling as a top-end starter if he manages to throw strikes consistently and continue polishing up his sometimes subpar secondary pitches. The Giants have enough pitching depth in the upper minor leagues to deal from their strength in this department, making Harrison’s departure — despite being a highly-touted Bay Area product playing for his hometown team — feasible.
Hicks, 28, was demoted to the bullpen before being shelved with a toe sprain. After solidifying himself as an effective flamethrower in the late innings, he signed with San Francisco to reinvent himself as a starter, but durability kept him from ever being a mainstay in the rotation. It’ll be interesting to see how the Red Sox use him.
Tibbs III, 22, was San Francisco’s first-rounder from 2024 out of Florida State University. The Giants liked his offensive profile quite a bit — he walks nearly as much as he strikes out and has enough power to profile as a solid outfield option at some point. He had an .857 OPS in High-A Eugene, and there was a lot of chatter about him being someone the Giants fast-track to the big leagues. He’ll become Boston’s sixth-best prospect, according to MLB.com.
Bello, 20, has allowed just four earned runs in 18 innings in rookie ball this year.
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