The baseball world was stunned by Sunday’s Rafael Devers trade and further details have continued to spill out in subsequent days. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Red Sox asked for prospect Bryce Eldridge in trade talks but the Giants quickly rebuffed that.
Eldridge is clearly a talented prospect, making it understandable that the Sox would ask about him, and that the Giants preferred to keep him. The 16th overall pick of the 2023 draft, he has since taken 845 plate appearances in the minors, hitting 39 home runs with an 11.5% walk rate. His 26.5% strikeout rate is a bit on the high side but he’s also been facing far older competition basically the whole time. He’s now in Triple-A even though he’s still only 20 years old.
He started this year at Double-A and mashed, putting up a line of .280/.350/.512 in 34 games. That got him quickly promoted to Triple-A, where his production has stalled a bit. He is hitting just .160/.232/.340 at the top minor league level so far with a 33.9% strikeout rate. But it’s a small sample of 13 games and, as mentioned, he is extremely young for the level.
By keeping Eldridge in the fold, the Giants may have a bit of a squeeze in the first base/designated hitter mix over the long run. It appears that Devers’ days of being a third baseman are effectively done. Matt Chapman is one of the top defensive third basemen in the league and is signed through 2030. Devers is now learning first base and could be a viable option at that spot in the coming weeks.
Whenever Eldridge earns his way up to the majors, he and Devers will have to share the first base and DH spots, though that may not be a short-term problem if Eldridge still needs some time to develop against Triple-A pitching. The Giants are presumably fine with the long-term fit, since they seemingly took a hard line against even considering Eldridge being included in the deal.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area also reports on the Sox asking for Eldridge and notes that players like Hayden Birdsong and Carson Whisenhunt also came up at times during the talks. It’s unclear if the Giants were opposed to dealing those guys or if the Sox just preferred Kyle Harrison and James Tibbs, who ultimately were included in the completed deal.
Beyond the players, money was a key component of this trade, with Devers having about $250MM still to be paid out over the eight and a half years remaining on his contract. Jordan Hicks is still owed about $30MM in the two and a half years remaining on his deal, which offsets that somewhat, but the Giants still took on roughly $220MM in the swap. Considering the largest contract the Giants have ever signed in the history of the franchise is the $182MM free agent deal for Willy Adames, absorbing the money in the Devers trade was no small matter.
With that kind of financial commitment changing hands, ownership would naturally have to be involved. Giants chairman Greg Johnson spoke to John Shea of The San Francisco Standard, noting that he and Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy spoke about the pact fairly early in the process, at the urging of Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
“I talked to [Kennedy] at the (owners’) meetings (in early June) in New York, and I talked to him this week. Just put the message in that we’re serious. It’s not just chatter. Nobody wants to do all this work and then say, ’Oh, now we’ve got to sell it to our owners.’ We wanted to let the other owners know ’these guys are serious. They want to get something done.’ That changes the urgency. Buster was very smart to recognize that point. That goes back to his sense. He’s got a good nose for how people think and operate. It’s one of his strengths.”
RosterResource currently estimates the Giants to have a competitive balance tax number of almost $223MM, roughly $18MM below the $241MM base threshold. That should leave the club plenty of wiggle room to continue adding to the roster ahead of the deadline, whether they plan to avoid the tax or not.
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images
They’re at about $140MM in payroll for 2026. Not accounting for arb-eligible players. Could still make slight upgrades this off-season, but Posey would surely love to ditch that Robbie Ray contract.
Isn’t Ray pitching pretty well?
Rain is pitching extremely well. He makes pretty good money too – that’s always a factor – but Robbie is a stud just hard to trade him right now.
“Hard to trade him”…Since when is it “hard” to trade a pitcher who’s dominating on the field and only under contract for a couple of years?
Not to mention, why on earth would the Giants want to trade likely their best pitcher this year if they plan to contend?
Why would it be hard to trade one of the top pitchers in the league who is making as much as Flaherty and Gray?
Yeah man, it’s rough having a Cy Young candidate with a 2.68 ERA under contract. Giants cant wait to unload the guy.
Yes, his stats prior to the All-Star break this year are indicative of his entire Giants tenure and next season. So he’s an injury prone mid 30’s pitcher with a $25MM salary next season but he’s a bargain? All because he has had a good first half of a season?
And he’s worth every bit of that $25MM.
Guild- have you looked at the cost of SP lately?
guild – Are we talking about a beginner’s luck flash in the pan performer here?
Or are we talking about a guy who won the Cy just 4 years ago and was 7th in Cy voting just 4 years before that?
Just maybe the 4-year cycle will continue?
guilderc, Ray is injury prone? Since when? He was dependably healthy until he had TJS. He averaged 27 starts per season in the first 8 full years of his career, until he had the procedure. And, he’s been healthy since returning from the surgery.
Saying the Giants need to offload Ray, a bargain for the production they’re getting, with no long-term commitment, just might be the silliest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Hahahaha, what? He’s a cy young candidate and locked in for 2026 also.
Do you have any idea what Ray’s numbers are?
He doesn’t. And it’s not a long term contract. No albatross here. Keep as many good arms as you can like LAD and Arizona.
Tibbs for Ray. Who says no?
Mariners fan ?
Robbie’s a bulldog. Like him a lot. I’ve got him as positive in the Farhan plus and minus review sheet.
I don”t think any Mariners fan wishes ill on Robbie Ray or the Giants for that matter. (none that I know of) As a M’s fan I’m happy for him and the Giants. I think the trade worked out for both teams.
Guilderc, we’re talking about pitcher Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants. Who are you talking about?
Nonsense
That Ray for Mitch Haniger trade isn’t looking too great for the Mariners now.
In a world where Luis Severino and Sean Manaea get about $25M a year, the same salary for 1.5 years of a resurgent Robbie Ray is a very good deal
Robbie Ray is balling at an All Star level and completes the best 1-2 rotation duo in all of MLB. Ray is going NOWHERE.
Gets worse for the Sox
Eventually sure. But the next five years should be awesome. Come on board, there’s plenty of room on the bandwagon.
Just curious, but, how’s it get worse for the sox here?
I’m happier they went pitching heavy on the return, such as it is. ARMS are what they need. Blaze Jordan isn’t ranked like Aldridge, sure, but, you’ve got Alonso opting out pretty near certain this year. Others will be available. 1B is less urgent for the red sox than pitching, especially when you consider giolito/buehler/others will be departing. There’s a lot of patchwork and older guys in the rotation. A couple intriguing arms in the minors, but, prospects are just that, prospects. No guarantee those arms will stick or be more than back or rotation or relievers, even if they don’t flame out.
GaSox – Now that Vlad is off the table, I think the Mets extend Alonso.
Fever – no reason for Alonso not to kick the FA tires, especially after how his last foray went down.
I can’t recall… Mets did a QO he turned down or not.
I think Red Sox took giants to the cleaners. Devers is the highest paid DH in the league and they got an absolute haul for him ! Harrison will be great there
The range of valuation on the return in the trade that people have cited has been amusing to see. A number of, err, uninformed folks have gone as far as to label it “nothing” and “a bag of balls”, and while some have called it a great deal when including the financials yours is the first I’ve seen to go as far as to call it an “absolute haul”. The nature of subjectivity, I suppose!
It was neither a steal for SF, nor a haul by Boston. The Giants traded quality for quality, with the only variance being the time that quality comes forth. The Giants will benefit in the shorter term, the Sox in the longer. A good trade by definition in that both teams benefit.
@jean, what makes it a haul is that giants quality in return will always be making, at best, market value. The two key pieces Boston got in return, if they pan out, will go several seasons making below market value since they’ll be under arbitration
@571 No clue how a former top pitching prospect and a first rounder who has performed can be labeled a bag of balls ? JK, Boston fans are the most critical fans in all of sports lol. Tibbs walk rate/k rate and power all trend like he will make the show and perform one day. Harrison worst case turns into a late inning reliever which has always been a need for Boston.
Typically trades like this are more of a salary dump. So getting two quality pieces is a big win. And shooting for Eldridge, who’s value is greater than Devers rn, is ridiculous
whiffa, You’re over-thinking it, and putting to much value on players under team control. Getting cheap, productive players is always good, but that doesn’t make it a haul. That aspect carries much more value with tight budget teams, and the Giants aren’t close to being one. They can easily afford to work in the same budget areas as the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees. They aren’t worried about exceeding the CBT threshold.
Calling it a haul suggests one team getting fleeced. The Giants got something they desperately needed, can afford, and have been seeking for multiple seasons now, an elite hitter. That makes the deal a good one both sides, thus, neither a steal, nor a haul by either team.
A good trade by definition in that both teams benefit.
======================
I’d also add that the trade was needs-driven. Devers is a great hitter, but we should have some guys that will replace part of that production, while getting needed pitching in return.
SF gave up a lot, but one could argue that Harrison was their #6, and Mr. Tibbs is a couple of years away. Win or lose, I think Posey was correct in taking his shot.
RS571
It is very interesting , the return the Sox got for Devers. The initial reports I read led me to believe that they got a very mediocre return. Get rid of a ‘malcontent’ and his salary kind of return. Some respectable writers have said there is some talent in there. An ‘absolute haul’ Wow.
Meanwhile the Red Sox apparently dipped below the CBT threshold with the trade ….. the day after FSG signed a German soccer player to a recordbreaking contract with Liverpool. How convenient.
BTW – The Giants are gonna do with Devers and Eldridge EXACTLY what the Sox should have done with Devers and Casas to start the season, have them platoon between 1B and DH.
There’s absolutely no reason to play Devers at first when you have Casas. That makes no sense.
Gary, I was all for keeping Casas as say, 80-90% of the time the 1B…. but, getting devers occasional work there to become injury depth wouldve been fine.
Heck, in a blowout game switch him in to get reps if he proved to be shaky while learning
Good points GA Sox fan, but I think getting Rafael Devers to square up in the DH hole was an accomplishment on opening day.
Watching him learn first base on the fly after spring training? Not sure that’s the best idea but I see what you’re saying.
GSF
Devers getting time at 1stbase should have been in play several seasons ago. If the Sox had any foresight,this situation probably never happens. Sox had no reasonable backup plan for the oft injured Casas. Did Sox management jerk him around, yes, did Devers act spitefully and selfishly ,yes. You can’t blame them for signing Bregman and wanting him to play him at 3rdbase. Big upgrade defensively.
Gary – No sense?
First of all, you retain some of the value in Devers that was otherwise lost by converting him to a fulltime DH. Again, NEVER has a longtime 3B still in his 20’s been transitioned straight to fulltime DH without at least trying them at first base.
Second of all, you ensure having a legit backup to the injury-prone Casas.
Third of all, if Casas gets traded or flames out then Devers is ready to take over first base.
Fourth of all, Casas is a very poor first baseman and Devers is expected to become a very good one.
Fifth of all, Cora wouldn’t have messed up Campbell even more by forcing him to learn first base
Sixth of all, third basemen transitioning to first base is a natural progression that has occurred countless times
Just because Cora/Breslow were dumb enough to tell Raffy he will never play in the field again, it doesn’t mean he never should.
I thought Tristan Casas heated up as the season moved on normally?
I thought Romy Gonzalez was having a fine year and if Casas needed a day off, he was a legit backup first baseman?
I thought Rafael Devers was bringing it as a DH and tearing the cover off the ball so you would leave him there this year and maybe give him a full spring training at first base next season?
I thought the Sox already moved Raffy off his preferred position once and asking him to do it again on very short notice was disruptive?
I still think platooning Casas and Devers at first base to start the season is a horrible idea on opening day. I’m not sure if anyone would’ve thought of it.
Gary – Do you mean in the minors?
In 2022 he was bad at season’s end.
In 2023 he was good at season’s end.
In 2024 he was bad at season’s end.
And he’s been injured for an extended period of time every year since 2022.
Romy is not a longterm backup solution. He’s historically been awful vs RHP, this year is no different with a .649 OPS and he’s also had injury issues. They wouldn’t have Toro playing first base, or asked Devers & Campbell to play first base, if Romy was the solution.
Yes that’s why I said to start the season, they should have had Raffy taking reps at first base in ST …. but as you know, Cora didn’t want Raffy spending any time on fielding in ST or going forward.
I’ve been saying for years they should have worked on Raffy learning first base. Management looked like idiots waiting until a midseason injury before finally wanting Raffy to learn the position.
It really seems true that the reason they refused to have Raffy learn first base all these years is because they wanted to get out from under the contract. They never intended to keep him for more than a few years.
Sure the front office thought about it. They went into last offseason knowing they would move Raffy off 3B.
And why do you think they shopped Casas around? If they had been successful in trading him, Raffy would have been the Opening Day first baseman.
It’s widely believed Casas was so vocal about keeping Raffy at 3B because he didn’t want Raffy playing first base.
Excellent comment Fever. You continually have great support for your positions.
Gary – Thank you, I appreciate it!
I know sometimes I’m a bit too blunt, but I’m always happy to explain and support my takes.
The Liverpool thing is interesting.
I was like “no chance that’s going on”. Then Bowden went there as a possibility on Foul Territory. I imagine he would know how owners roll. I’m a Liverpool fan and a Giants fan, so I’m all good with the suggested wider strategy !
Right. I’m sure the timing of this has everything to do with the luxury tax and absolutely nothing to do with the deteriorating relationship, clarity about Devers being recalcitrant about his position going forward, and/or a feeling that this was dragging on a team struggling to get going and something had to be done ASAP to give 2025 a change. Good call!
(If indeed this ends up landing the team just short of the luxury tax threshold, I think you were unintentionally correct – it in fact would be a convenient silver lining. I’m sure the entire org would prefer that the team get going and give the front office a reason to be trade deadline buyers).
redsox – Unlike Sox management, I don’t pull stats out of my butt and I don’t need 300 analysts to provide a bunch of useless numbers.
Check out Spotrac, it shows the Sox are now under the threshold.
As for “dragging on the team”, all the players and Cora have been very vocal in saying all was good. Check out some of the interviews, like Duran saying he was shocked the trade happened despite the team playing so well.
Nobody is buying the scapegoating of Raffy Devers, we are all experts at knowing scapegoating when we see it.
Unfortunately there’s no platoon between Eldridge and Devers, They’re both LHHs
They will take turns playing first and DH. Both of them will be in the lineup everyday
Yes, obviously. Fever used the word platoon. I’m just setting the record straight.
Jean – Where in the definition of the word “platoon” does it specify a requirement that each of two players must hit from the opposite side of the plate?
What about simply giving each player ample days off from playing the field as a reason for a platoon? Or slowly breaking in Devers at first base, rather than immediately having him play every day there?
I know Eldridge was bad in the outfield a couple years ago, maybe circumstances will result in him playing some OF again?
BTW – Catcher is a platoon position, quite often a team’s catchers bat from the same side of the plate. For instance the Red Sox had Wong and McGuire for a while.
Ignore that last sentence, I meant Wong & Narvaez this season. I need to fully wake up before posting. LOL
Fever, for 2024 it would’ve been mostly wong and Mcguire as the tandem, it’s still a true statement
This is from BB Ref: “A Platoon is when two players share a position. The most common platoon uses a left-handed batter against right-handed pitching and a right-handed batter against left-handed pitching. Other kinds of platoons, like a good fielder/weak hitter and a weak fielder/good hitter are possible, but it’s safe to assume a left/right platoon unless otherwise specified.”
BB Ref also talked about pitching platoons, bringing in a LHP to face a LHH., the use of which has been diminished by the 3 batter rule. .
So the term platoon suggests using the strengths and weaknesses of 2 guys to a team’s advantage. Alternating Devers and Eldridge between 1B and DH isn’t doing that. It’s simply giving a guy a break from fielding, with either a game off, or a game at DH. Calling the alternating of 2 guys a platoon could then be used in all sorts of other situations, and the term would lose meaning.
Catcher is different. Catchers do only that, and no other position rotates into the catcher position, making it unique. But it seems to me that starter/back-up is more commonly used for catchers.
Jean – I agree L/R is somewhat common in baseball platoons, but let’s think this through …..
Neither has reverse splits, correct?
So you’re saying if Devers was a righty, then him *sharing* both DH and 1B with Eldridge would be a platoon.
What’s the difference when both bats are guaranteed to be in the lineup almost every game?
You do want both bats in the lineup almost every game, right?
So what difference does it make which of the two lefty bats is playing first base and which is the DH?
I think you’re getting confused with the general premise that platoons are often the REPLACING of a bat in the lineup based on the opposing pitcher’s throwing arm …. but it’s not a requirement.
BTW – No other position rotates into the catcher position?
Ironically Buster Posey platooned at first base quite often with 201 GS at 1B.
Mauer also ….. Santana, Contreras, the list goes on and on. It’s a way to keep their bat in the lineup while giving their knees/body a rest from the rigors of catching.
As the quote from BB Ref said in essence, a platoon is when 2 players share a position. Playing Devers and Eldridge together in the same game at 1B and DH, is not 2 players sharing a position. So by definition it is not a platoon.
There’s no confusion about replacing a bat. Again, a platoon is 2 players sharing 1 position in order to maximize each of the 2 players strengths. That’s whether it’s struggles with same-side pitching/strength against the opposite, or good defense, verses poor. It’s still about 2 players, 1 position to get the most from the 2 players for 1 position.
That’s not close to the same thing as alternating 2 strong hitters/poor defenders between 1B and DH.
“…if Devers was a righty, then him *sharing* both DH and 1B with Eldridge would be a platoon.”
No it wouldn’t because they’re not sharing 1 position, 1 guy playing, while the other sits. And it doesn’t take into account how well each hit same-side pitchers. A lot of guys don’t need to be platooned. The only ones that are are to cover a weakness.
As to catchers, technically they are a platoon, because it is 2 guys sharing 1 position. Most teams teams have 2 catchers. Whether one, or both, occasionally play elsewhere is irrelevant to the catcher’s position.
But, I said other positions don’t rotate into the catching position. I never said they don’t rotate out. That’s actually quite common, but it has nothing to do with the uniqueness of the catching position. But, no player rotates from another position to games behind the plate.
Jean – Not sure what you mean about rotating in vs rotating out. There’s many players who switch positions throughout the season. Last year Rafaela kept moving between CF and SS. He didn’t have a designated primary position, so how would you know what’s considered out and what’s considered in?
Anyway, I understand platoons typically are L/R for pitching matchups but I really don’t think the Giants will refuse to platoon Eldridge or Devers simply because they are both lefties. Time will tell when Eldridge is called up.
I always appreciate your comments, you bring a lot to support your views which is great.
Have a good weekend!
Rotating in vs out of the catcher position. By rotating out I mean the common practice of catchers rotating to other positions as part of their defensive roles. They might have a regular rotation where, besides catching they’ll play 1B, or DH
By rotating in I mean no players from any other position is going to play catcher as part of their defensive rotation. Using your example, Rafaela will play CF and SS as part of his defensive rotation, but he is not going to play catcher as part of it.
Catchers rotate out of the catching position to other spots, but no one, short of the emergency catcher, has a rotation in to the catcher position as part of their defensive role. I hope that explains what I mean.
They aren’t refusing to platoon Devers and Eldridge because both are LHHs. They aren’t going to platoon them because a platoon situation does not exist. For example, what if Eldridge gets called up this year, and they alternate most of the time between 1B and DH. But what if on regular days off for Devers, Wilmer plays 1B? Is he now part of the platoon?
By definition a platoon is 2 players sharing a single position. So since they’d be playing almost every day, and alternating between 2 different positions is it a double platoon?
I appreciate your comments as well, and really enjoy a civil back and forth. People can have different opinions. You have a good weekend yourself.
The hype around Bryce Eldridge is reaching Yankee prospect levels. He’s going to have a hard time living up to the expectations being set for him.
The hype is going to subside soon.
He’ll be fine.
That would be true if he were asked to come up this year and be the savior. He’s not.
Timeline is possibly for next season. If he’s not ready he won’t be rushed.
I do think the timeline for Eldridge gets pushed back now. Unless Dom Smith loses all production he really isn’t needed yet. With Flores & Smith coming off the books next year SFG has the luxury of keeping him in AAA. Smith has been a pleasant surprise on both sides of the ball.
It’s not really hype when you have a pedigree talent whose professional career not only got off to a flying start but also had that happen at a very young age. Dude thrived in high-A ball and looked the part in his short AA stint in his first full pro season (age 19) and right on cue had a very strong performance at age 20 in AA this year, leading to a promotion to AAA. He’s right on track for the hype he’s getting.
The thing about your classic hyped Yankee prospect is a combo of 1) getting more hype than justified by the prospect’s profile, and 2) a tendency to disappoint even relative to the objective projections of the prospect, when all is said and done. The final element of Yankee prospectdom, to be fair to them, is their tendency to have their best successes come from guys who were *not* hyped.
redsoxu571, DonOsbourne is a Dodger fan. I’ve detected a significant lack of objectivity in his posts regarding the Giants. Nor do expect to see any in the future.
I am a Cardinals fan. I have no feelings about the Giants or Dodgers unless it involves Tommy Edman. I have never liked Jordan Hicks, but that has to do with his time in St. Louis, not San Francisco.
Sorry for the mistake. I do remember that now. It’s debatable, given your posts, that you have no feelings about the Giants. It also doesn’t change the rest of what I wrote.
Devers doesn’t share anything
Except the news he’s on your roster and your problem.
Devers and his agent are looking into a 4 day workweek, and a month off in the middle of every season. Plus casualty pay for when he has to play the field.
Nobody wants to do all this work and then say, ’Oh, now we’ve got to sell it to our owners.’
========================
That’s a good approach. The couple of times I bought a house, I made a reasonable off just south of the market price. I felt like it made the seller think of me as the most likely buyer.
the red sox have now traded babe ruth, mookie betts, and rafael devers, in exchange for alex verdugo, jordan hicks, and a broadway play.
sweet baby jesus
Hicks is actually a throw in to offset some salary. Harrison is the biggest piece of the Devers return.
Chandler – Sale & $17M for Grissom!!!!!!!
Fever – I’m still scratching my head over Lyle for Cater and Cecil Cooper for washed-up Boomer.
let – I do recall hearing about those two trades, but at the time they happened I was still in grade school. LOL
Fever – I was in grade school when the Pirates got Maury Wills for Bob Bailey and Gene Michael.
The Ruth sale had nothing to do with a play and everything to do with MLB’s broken economics at the time (understandable for an early sports league). Ruth lived a high-risk lifestyle and wanted to get paid huge bucks, much more than the Red Sox could afford. Really, the Yankees were the only team that could afford to meet his demands, especially factoring in the risk. He wanted out and the Red Sox knew it wouldn’t work to hold on an increasingly unhappy player. Primary sources at the time record both that the feeling that his unhappiness was dragging down the entire team and that fans, fully perceiving how good Ruth was, understood the context of the situation.
A much better name to cite would have been Tris Speaker, who was traded off largely out of cheapness. But that’s the point – at the time, the Red Sox were involved with multiple (beyond even just these two) of the biggest cash-return trades in MLB/sports history. That’s what happens when a franchise has a lot of talent and the ability to hold on to it basically indefinitely but also lacks the finances to pay reasonable “market” value (however that works in a low-mobility league) to everyone.
Not sure how much you’ll appreciate the history lesson given your framing of the Devers trade as “in exchange for Jordan Hicks”, but hey, no harm in sharing!
the play that rsox owner sold babe for, in case anyone’s wondering, was a musical called “No, No, Nanette”
the greatest ball player of all time, maybe the greatest athlete in any sport, that completely changed the face of the game forever that we are still feeling over 100 years later, who led the league in home runs the final 2 yrs he was in boston and won 3 WS with… he was traded… for no no nanette
You must be high as a kite.
I suspect Posey laid down the law with devers. Perform where we want, or, restricted list. Mouth off or disrupt the clubhouse, club issued suspension. You’re a giant now. And, you’ll act like one. Understood?
What happened in Boston stays in Boston. Now let’s go..
After following Buster for well over a decade, I’d suggest there is zero chance he gave him the school teacher/naughty nine year old treatment. Pretty well put together individual is Buster Posey.
fopp – Yep today’s players don’t take too kindly to being treated like crap, which is why guys like Showalter are out of the game.
Buster believes in strong communication with players, keeping them informed, asking for their input, thinking before making decisions, and planning well ahead of time.
In other words, the exact opposite culture that has most people calling the Red Sox front office a spitshow.
No idea on the Red Sox, but yeah, Buster’s boss said it all in the article. He has got good sense.
fopp – And I’m sure Buster & Co did their due diligence by asking around MLB for everyone’s opinion of Raffy before pulling the trigger.
BTW – Raffy was with the Sox organization since 2014. Would they have given him that massive contract and asked him to be the team leader if he had ANY type of behavioral issues?
It’s amazing how some people here have zero concept of the word “logic”.
They said they did their due diligence and all good.
Seems like your passionate defence had good merit.
I highly doubt that Posey had to lay down any law with Devers.
It’s routine for a player dumped for perceived bad behavior to be on his best behavior with his new franchise, at least early on. Perhaps he’s more willing to be flexible about his position in order to start off in a good place, or perhaps he’s happy to just stick it to Boston by doing in SF what he wasn’t willing to do before.
The real test will be how he operates once things have settled in. And I don’t write that presuming it won’t be smooth waters for him and the team.
Easy answer: Chapman and Webb will squash that. If not, Barry is always in the building, as is Will Clark. Then there’s Buster. Three rings to rule them all.
Peace out
dave – They won’t be needed.
Prior to the Red Sox self-created drama this year, Raffy was known as a quiet, fun-loving, laid back, easy to get along with player throughout his 11 year professional career.
He’s had zero issues in the past, whereas the current Sox ownership and management has had dozens of issues.
Track record matters.
Oh I forgot, we have Dusty too. Hablan Espanol tambien.
davemlaw — when people tell you how to ‘get in line’ no matter you say/said/saying, do you conform and move on with a ‘yes boss’ attitude and a smile?
Does intimateding/lying create the best performance from your highest paid employee? (Do you think it works on most people?)
All Mute points
The Giants are very good to their players and so are the fans. It’s why there’s a running joke about “forever Giants” if you ever wear the uniform.
Except for AJ Pierzynski
davemlaw — I agree with you that the Giants are a solid organization, and should have no issue with Devers, my points aren’t mute/moot however. I don’t think the Giants will act in such unprofessional ways…but I didn’t think the Red Sox would either (I’m not mad they chose too either….helps my Orioles, them moving a future HOF because they lie to the players and public).
I think the Giants stole Devers, and good on them. The trade says everything about each organization as it is really.
*moot
Moot points. A mute point would go unsaid.
And then there’s the famous Ent moot.
Rey – Casas was very vocal in supporting Devers during ST.
Cora confirmed the Campbell thing never happened, in fact Cora is the one who ASKED Campbell if he would learn first base.
And throwing around a word as serious as “cancer” about a guy who had a pristine reputation until management did him dirty is a very poor decision.
Yep, never trust someone who lies and breaks promises.
Red Sox players had Raffy’s back and still do.
For those of you who defend Devers actions to the bitter end, I ask you this:: By refusing to play where the team needed him, who was he hurting?
Ownership, Breslow and Cora?
Or the team and Red Sox fans?
It’s the name on the front of the jersey, not the back that matters. Hall of Famers have moved from 3B to 1B….Brett, Thome, Cabrera etc. Rose lied and told management he HAD played a position he never had in order to facilitate a move to better the ballclub. Established players change positions for the benefit of the team all the time when circumstances require; Betts is the poster boy for such things but there are plenty of others as well.
Red Sox fans may be unhappy with ownership and management, but supporting a selfish extremely well-paid player who put his ego over what was best for his team, teammates and the fans makes no sense whatsover.
Devish — Didn’t Devers ask in the off season if he should learn 1st base (when it become public they were looking at 3rd baseman)?
They told him no, you are our 3rd baseman.
When they signed Bregman, did Cora say Raffy was the 3rd baseman and Bregman would learn 2nd?
When they said Bregman was the 3rd baseman (after publicly, on all fronts, said Devers was the 3rd baseman) and told Raffy to play DH, did Raffy play DH?
Did the Red Sox answer questions in Spring Training if Raffy would play 1B at all, and say he would not? Didn’t they say he would be a full-time DH, hard stop?
The Red Sox brass made this entire drama unfold because of what: Lack of basic professionalism.
It’s funny how many people here would have “set Raffy straight” rather than act respectfully/professionally. I guess those folks get set straight a bunch in their own lives and think everyone else takes other folks unreasonable guff also
And again, I say, Red Sox fans (and even Devers) can be unhappy with ownership and management, but his hissy fit hurt the team and fans,
In the real world, bosses send mixed messages or act in contradictory fashion all the time. Devers is paid to play baseball; not third base, and paid very well. He might have ‘won’ the PR battle if he relayed what he’d been told and THEN said, “But I’m happy to help the team in any way they need because I want to win. I hope the fans will be patient with me at 1B since I’m learning a new position.” Cardinals fans aren’t griping at Willson Contreras when he makes an error at 1B; they appreciate the fact that he said he was willing to move for the benefit of the team and KNOW he’s learning a new position. I have to believe Red Sox fans would act similarly.
Devlsh — The way ownership acted (disengenous, and unprofessional) hurt the team…and the franchise. Ownership traded away the face of the franchise because they are so disfunctional. Other players will notice, and not believe anything they tell players.
Maybe getting jerked around is a norm in some business relationships, but in pro sports it isn’t, because it results in bad relationships with players every time.
The only ones that could have avoided this outcome were Ownership exclusively. The buck stops/starts with them.
D
Devers did the team and us Sox fans ‘dirty’. There must be some animosity in the dugout towards him . From the guy who signs your checks , hey it would really help the team if you grabbed a 1st basemans glove.NO. The Sox had no choice but to move him. I was a huge Devers fan since I first heard of him mashing in Greenville. Now he says he will play wherever the Giants want him to. That’s a big F U. to his former teammates and fans
Is Devers so bad defensively at 3B that with their starting 3B on the DL, the Giants are using Devers at DH? Will he EVER be seen at 3B while Chapman is out on the DL or is getting a day off or serving as DH?
Since Devers has only DH’ed this year, are the Giants working on him so he is physically able to play in the field SOMETIME at 3B?
Casey Schmitt is a natural 3B and a better defender.
The best clutch hitter on the giants is their DH Wilmer Flores. I don’t see Eldridge coming up this year with Flores and Devers on the roster. Devers is a cancer. There were several other teams in on Devers and no one offered anything better. That contract is under water and no one wants a DH for 250 million. Pete couldn’t get that on the open market. Boston won by getting rid of this bad contract.
So how do you explain the defensively challenged Vlad Jr? in reality a DH playing 1B, getting a $500M deal? Alonso didn’t get the deal he was looking for because after his first 4 seasons, where he averaged a 140 OPS+, he put up 2 straight seasons of 123 OPS+. The thought was he was going into decline.
This season so far he has a 170 OPS+. If he’d done last year he would have gotten a better deal. If Vlad Jr. is the new benchmark, and Alonso continues hitting like this, it’s not unrealistic to think he gets 6 years and close to $200M. which is in the ballpark with Devers
Vlad Guerrero: Career OPS .861 and getting $500M through his age 40 season.
Rafael Devers: Career OPS .859 and getting $250M through his age 36 season.
What was once a really good deal for the Sawx, has now become a really good deal for the Giants.