Rafael Devers Trade: Reviewing the Giants-Red Sox Trade One Year Later
One year ago today, one of the largest blockbuster trades in recent memory went down between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants.
The Red Sox traded away franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers and his $313.5 million contract in exchange for four players.
Amid the trade, the Red Sox has issues with Devers internally due to his reluctancy to move positions so that Alex Bregman could play third base. The Red Sox decided to go all in on protecting their, now failed, future with Bregman that they traded Devers.
What star-studded package did the Giants send to Boston? They sent left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, outfielder James Tibbs III and right-handed pitcher Jose Bello, only one of these men remain within the Red Sox organization one year later.
Harrison was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he now has a 2.47 ERA in 13 starts. Hicks was traded to the Chicago White Sox where he has continued to struggle. Tibbs was traded to the Dodgers for six mediocre starts from Dustin May, who posted a 5.40 ERA for Boston. Now, Tibbs ranks as Los Angeles' No. 10 prospect and owns a 1.036 OPS in Triple‑A.
All included, the Red Sox lost out on Harrison, Hicks, Tibbs, Devers and Bergman, who singed with the Chicago Cubs in free agency.
It is important to note that Devers was having close to his best season to start 2025. He was slashing .272/.401/.504/.905 with 15 home runs, 58 RBIs and 18 doubles in 73 games with Boston before the trade.
For San Francisco, this trade originally seemed like their chance to finally land a superstar. For years, the Giants consistently whiffed on big name free agents such as Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. So picking up a big name bat who held a .905 OPS at the time seemed like the right move, even with having to pay the remaining $230 million remaining on his contract.
However, this trade has not been perfect for the Giants either. Despite being 10 games over .500 at the time of the trade, the Giants completely collapsed and missed out on the postseason. Devers hit well for them in his first 90 games, with a .807 OPS and 20 home runs, but he could not propel them to the promise land.
Now in 2026, Devers is slashing .235/.293/.413, good for a .706 OPS, with nine home runs and 33 RBIs in 72 games. These currently rank as the worst marks of his career. While Oracle Park in San Francisco is a tough place to hit, these are not the offensive stats the Giants traded for.
Since the trade, the Giants have gone 69-93 and currently sit in fourth place in the National League West. The Red Sox have gone 81-77 and currently sit in last place of the American League East.
This is the 1-year anniversary of the Rafael Devers trade as @JohnSheaHey reminds us, which has backfired for both teams.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 15, 2026
The Giants have gone 69-93 since the trade and are tied for the 2nd-worst record in MLB (29-43)
The Red Sox have gone 81-77 and are 29-40 and in last place
Overall, this trade has been a complete disaster for both teams.
Somehow, the team who has received the best case scenario out of this trade is the back-to-back World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with a young superstar brewing in their farm system.
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 12:58 PM.