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The Boston Red Sox have traded superstar slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants following recent drama. The third baseman will soon make the switch from the AL East to the NL West.
The move comes following Devers’ refusal to switch positions at the Red Sox request. Unfortunately, his new landing spot won’t offer much opportunity to stay at the hot corner.
Devers is a three-time All-Star in the midst of what could be his best offensive season. He’s hitting .271 with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs, and an American League best 55 walks. Offense has never been the issue.
His defense has, at times, been suspect. Last year, he graded out as one of the league’s worst fielding third basemen. The Red Sox responded by signing Gold Glove infielder Alex Bregman in the offseason.
Rafael Devers wasn’t made aware of the team’s intentions prior to that roster move. He was reportedly unhappy with being blindsided.
He’d seemingly come to terms with the idea of moving to designated hitter before an unexpected injury threw a wrench in the plans. Starting first baseman Tristan Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury. Devers was asked to play first. He refused.
“They had the conversation with me,” he said in May. “I don’t think it’s the best decision [to move to first base] after they asked me to play a different position… To all of a sudden have me try to play another position – it doesn’t seem like a good decision.”
Rafael Devers won’t play third base for the Giants, either.
Rafael Devers was upset that the #RedSox signed a Gold Glove 3B to take his spot, so Boston traded him to the #Giants, who already have a Gold Glove 3B signed through 2030.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 15, 2025
San Francisco currently has third baseman Matt Chapman manning the hot corner. He signed a six-year extension last season that runs through 2030.
Chapman has five Gold Gloves and a pair of Platinum Gloves. He’s one of the league’s best defensive players at his position.
It’s highly unlikely Devers will overtake Chapman on the depth chart. It’s probably he’ll continue playing in a designated hitter role when Chapman returns from the IL. Boston is said to have been upset with how Devers handed the position change request.
The team’s feeling was that a $313.5M contract comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities. They had enough and they traded him.
-Pete Abraham via The Boston Globe
That unhappiness has many thinking that the Giants were targeted as a trade partner. They unloaded the infielder to a place where he’d be unable to play his position of choice. Some might call that petty. Others might call it karma.
In return for Rafael Devers, the Red Sox will get pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, as well as minor league prospects James Tibbs III and Jose Bello.