Red Sox trade star slugger Rafael Devers to Giants in unforeseen blockbuster deal

Jimmy Golen · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 8:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants connected Sunday successful a woody that could shingle up pennant races connected some coasts.

Devers' agent, Nelson Montes de Oca, confirmed the woody to The Associated Press. ESPN reported that the Giants are sending Boston a bundle of players that includes pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison for the 28-year-old designated hitter, who had bristled astatine his demotion from 3rd basal this year.

The Giants were 1 crippled down the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers heading into Sunday night's matchup betwixt the NL West rivals. San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames said connected the ESPN broadcast that the squad recovered retired astir 15-20 minutes earlier the game.

"Everybody's truthful excited," helium said successful an on-field interrogation portion playing the tract successful the 2nd inning. "Me, personally, I'm similar thrilled to person him connected the team. He's 1 of the champion hitters successful the game, and to person him connected the team, I deliberation is going to assistance america bash a batch of harm successful the division. Obviously we request a bat similar him successful this lineup."

A three-time All-Star who signed a 10-year, $313.5 cardinal US declaration with the Red Sox successful 2023, Devers is batting .272 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs successful 73 games, including a solo changeable successful Boston's 2-0 triumph implicit the New York Yankees connected Sunday that completed a three-game sweep.

Tension with Boston's beforehand office

But his narration with the squad began to deteriorate erstwhile the squad signed Gold Glove 3rd baseman Alex Bregman during outpouring grooming and asked Devers to determination to DH; helium balked earlier agreeing to the switch. When archetypal baseman Triston Casas sustained a season-ending genu injury, the Red Sox approached Devers astir playing the tract and helium declined, saying the beforehand bureau " should bash their jobs " and look for different player.

A time aft Devers' comments to the media astir playing first, Red Sox proprietor John Henry, squad president Sam Kennedy and main shot serviceman Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to conscionable with Devers and manager Alex Cora.

The concern became much hard erstwhile Bregman sustained what the squad called a important close quadriceps wounded connected May 23.

"Everybody astir the league, I think, was paying attraction to that. When immoderate squad is having immoderate benignant of play similar that, with a subordinate similar Devers — helium fundamentally was the look of the franchise," Adames said earlier helium was interrupted by Tommy Edman's location tally that gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox person won 5 retired of six against the rival Yankees implicit the past 2 weekends to amended to 37-36, but they are inactive 4th successful the AL East, 6 1/2 games down division-leading New York.

Devers was 20 erstwhile helium made his large league debut with the Red Sox successful 2017. He helped the Red Sox triumph the 2018 World Series and led the squad successful RBIs for 5 consecutive seasons from 2020-24. He has finished successful the apical 20 successful voting for AL MVP 5 times.

Devers is not the archetypal Red Sox All-Star to beryllium traded away: The squad sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier the 2020 play successful a wage dump — conscionable a twelvemonth aft helium won the AL MVP grant and led Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and its 4th World Series rubric since 2004.

But the Devers woody is possibly astir reminiscent of the 2004 mid-season shakeup erstwhile Boston traded disgruntled shortstop — and instrumentality favourite — Nomar Garciaparra to Minnesota.

The Red Sox went connected to triumph the World Series that year, ending their 86-year title drought.

This is the latest large determination by Buster Posey, a seven-time All-Star who took implicit arsenic San Francisco's president of shot operations successful September. He signed Justin Verlander to a $15 million, one-year declaration successful January and Adames to a $182 million, seven-year woody successful December.

"It makes them amended close now, for sure," Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said successful a TV interrogation from the dugout astatine Dodger Stadium. "Buster Posey's truly doing it. Good for Buster implicit there. He's going for it. I'd see Raffy 1 of the apical 10 hitters successful the game, astatine worst. He's decidedly a game-changer. It volition beryllium absorbing to spot what presumption helium plays implicit there."