LOS ANGELES -- President of baseball operations Buster Posey didn’t wait around to land a much-needed impact bat for the Giants’ lineup.
In a shocking blockbuster over a month before the July 31 Trade Deadline, the Giants acquired star slugger Rafael Devers from the Red Sox in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, Jose Bello and last year’s first-year Draft pick (13th overall) pick James Tibbs III.
With star third baseman Matt Chapman expected to miss several weeks with a right hand injury, the Giants felt the need to take bold action to bolster their offense, which has had some trouble supporting the club’s excellent pitching staff this year. A three-time All-Star, Devers primarily served as Boston’s designated hitter this season, but he’s a natural third baseman who could help cover the hot corner while Chapman is out.
“I think the bat is so special,” Posey told reporters following the Giants’ 5-4 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. “It’s really hard to acquire this type of talent at this point in his career. We’re obviously taking on a lot of money. We’re giving up some pitching. We’re giving up our first-round pick from last year, so it didn’t come without a cost. But we felt like this was a chance to take a shot.”
News of the deal broke just minutes before Harrison was scheduled to pitch in the Giants’ series finale in Los Angeles on Sunday, forcing the club to start Sean Hjelle in his place. Harrison, the club’s former top pitching prospect and a Danville, Calif., native, spent his entire rookie season in San Francisco’s starting rotation last year, but he opened the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Sacramento after he was unable to crack the starting five out of Spring Training.
The Giants used Harrison out of the bullpen for the first time in his career when they called him back up to the Majors last month, though the 23-year-old left-hander ended up sliding back into the rotation when Justin Verlander landed on the 15-day injured list with a right pec strain on May 22.
Harrison carried a 4.91 ERA over 18 1/3 innings in four appearances as a starter for the Giants, but with Verlander gearing up for a return to the mound – possibly as soon as their upcoming three-game series against the Guardians – he looked to be the odd man out of the Giants rotation. With a plethora of young starters in the organization – including Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp and No. 2 prospect Carson Whisenhunt – the Giants were ultimately willing to part with Harrison to land Devers.
“Kyle Harrison is a guy that has tremendous upside,” Posey said. “I’ve been very outspoken about what I believe the foundation of success is for an organization. It’s pitching and defense. To give up a guy like that is not an easy thing for us.”
Devers was in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension with the Red Sox that he signed in 2023. He had become the face of the franchise in Boston since debuting in 2017 and emerged as a key contributor during the club’s World Series run in 2018, but there was some tension when the team signed another third baseman – Alex Bregman – this offseason.
A displeased Devers initially said he would not be willing to move into a designated hitter role, but he later walked that back and accepted the new role. The relationship between both sides grew further estranged in early May, when he told the Red Sox that he would not be willing to play first base after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury.
In San Francisco, the 28-year-old Devers will likely split his time between third base and DH, though the Giants want to speak with him first before they determine where to use him.
Wilmer Flores is currently the Giants’ primary DH, so he could potentially move into more of a platoon role with Dominic Smith at first base when Chapman returns. A left-handed hitter, Devers has a career OPS+ of 128 with a .279/.349/.510 slash line over his nine-year career in the big leagues. He’s batting .272 with a .905 OPS, 15 home runs and 58 RBIs over 73 games in 2025 and should instantly become the most fearsome hitter in the Giants’ lineup.
The Red Sox travel to Oracle Park for a three-game set this weekend, which will likely be the first time Devers faces his former team in what is all of a sudden a highly anticipated clash.
“This is something we really needed,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters. “There’s a lot we had to give up to get him, but this fits us perfectly. It’s a power left-handed bat, a guy that can go the other way and hit for power at our ballpark. It’s tailor-made for us. Kudos to the front office to swing this.”
Hicks, who was in the second year of a four-year, $44 million deal, began the season as a starter for the Giants, but was moved to the bullpen in early May after giving up 28 earned runs on 46 hits and 1.41 WHIP over 43 1/3 innings through eight starts. He has a 6.47 ERA in 2025 and has not appeared in a game since June 1 after going on the injured list with right great toe inflammation.
Tibbs, a 22-year-old outfielder who was ranked the Giants’ No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was batting .246 with an .857 OPS and 12 home runs over 57 games at High-A Eugene this year. Bello, a 20-year-old right-handed reliever, wasn’t among the club’s Top 30 prospects, but he was pitching well at the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, where he posted a 2.00 ERA over his first eight appearances of the season.