The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games. And their sixth win against the Seattle Mariners was without their centerpiece, Rafael Devers. Meanwhile, just 48 hours after pulling off the unimaginable trade, the San Francisco Giants finally introduced their star slugger on Tuesday.
More than the trade itself, the timing has the league stunned. After all, the Red Sox had just swept the Yankees. Then, they had the three-game series scheduled against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. And chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, too, admitted that the timing was far from ideal.
But this trade probably made sense for both sides. Alex Cora revealed Devers’ reaction to the trade on his recent media appearance. “He shook our hands, and he took off.” For what it’s worth, Devers was reportedly happier after his exit from Boston.
But on Foul Territory, Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes made a remark about a previous deal involving Devers. He claimed that the deal fell apart because the Red Sox opted out of retaining the salary. Clearing the speculations, Breslow shut down that rumor while speaking with The Greg Hill Show on Tuesday.
He plainly put it: “No, that is not accurate.” He further emphasized how surprised he was with the false claim. “I was as surprised as anybody else would have been who had no idea this was a thing or had happened. Absolutely not true.”
All that Red Sox really targeted in this trade was some flexibility and young prospects. So, in Devers’ return, they landed pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison and young prospects James Tibbs III and Jose Bello.
Well, they got what they wanted. Now, the Red Sox will be facing Devers directly on the weekend for the Red Sox-Giants series.
But with all the position switch dilemmas Devers had with the Red Sox, where will he play with the Giants?
Devers would play anywhere Giants want him to play
For the record, the tension between the Red Sox and Devers go back to spring training. He was expected to leave the spot he’s held onto for years. He was moved from third base to DH. That’s not it. He was even expected to take over first base after Triston Casas’ season-ending injury. But while settling into DH, Devers refused to move to 1B – no way he could’ve made another position change.
Now, with the San Francisco Giants, Devers said something so intriguing that the Red Sox wished to hear all along. “I’m here to play wherever they want me to play.” Apparently, that means Devers will now be taking grounders so that he can do both—first base as well as DH. It’s important to note that first base has never been Devers’ forte. It’s always been third base for him.
Giants manager Bob Melvin also confirmed that after all the talks with Devers, he’s alright with wherever the team places him. And the team wants him “a little bit of DH and a little bit of first,” Melvin shared. His debut for the Giants will be against the Cleveland Guardians. For this game, he is expected to bat third and serve as the DH.
For Melvin, having Devers in the lineup will be “incredibly incredible.” And he even exclaimed that the buzz in the clubhouse was amazing after Devers’ presence.
Excited to see Raffy in a different uniform for the first time since he was 16 – that’s a decade!
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