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Rafael Devers Trade Landing Spots Amid Disastrous Giants Tenure
It hasn't even been a year since the San Francisco Giants went all-in on Rafael Devers, so it says a lot about how things are going that they already want out.
With the Giants off to an 18-24 start, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Devers is one of the high-priced players the team would "love to unload." He's indeed the highest-priced of the bunch, with $226.5 million remaining on a contract that runs through 2033.
It's a frightening amount of money for a 1B/DH type who's only produced 1.4 rWAR in 132 games as a Giant. And despite a recent hot stretch, the three-time All-Star still only has a .677 OPS in 2026. He also has a .605 OPS and bad defensive metrics when he plays first base, strong indications that he should stick to DH.
One plus side for the Giants is that Devers does not have no-trade protection. Even so, any trade that sends him out of town will likely have to resemble the one that delivered him from the Boston Red Sox last June: a bad contract swap with a garnish of young talent.
As for which teams should be bold enough to consider such a deal, let's run through some honorable mentions before focusing on five real candidates.
No Way He's in the Budget
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Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians just got Patrick Bailey in a trade with the Giants, but he's no real cure for their perpetually light-hitting offense. Since they can't even bring themselves to spend $100 million on payroll, this just isn't happening.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are spending $100 million on their payroll, and they do need another impact bat alongside Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz. But, alas, Devers is still owed more than the club-record contract the Reds did with Joey Votto in 2012.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers rank last in MLB with 27 home runs, so their need for a power bat is ongoing. Yet even if they could afford Devers (and they can't), they can't easily move Christian Yelich off DH when he's healthy.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Because of Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin, Devers could fade into the background more in Pittsburgh than he could in most other places. That life would probably suit him, so it's a shame the club's payroll seems beyond maxed out.
Can Afford Him, But Don't Need Him
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Chicago Cubs
The Cubs need starting pitching a lot more than they need another bat. And even if they could get Logan Webb or Robbie Ray alongside Devers, is he really worth playing over the ascendent Moisés Ballesteros at DH?
Los Angeles Dodgers
Of all the places Devers could get traded, to the Giants' most longstanding rival is probably the least likely. And besides, the Dodgers have no need to upgrade over Shohei Ohtani at DH or Freddie Freeman at first base.
New York Yankees
Devers and Yankee Stadium go way back, but the Yankees need the DH spot for Giancarlo Stanton when he's healthy. Though Yankees could conceivably ship him to San Francisco if he was cool with it, someone tried that once and it didn't work.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have been weirdly lackluster offensively, and it's happening at a moment when their contention window is barely staying open. Despite the Dave Dombrowski connection, though, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are locked in at first base and DH, respectively.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are another ostensible World Series contender that has been weirdly ineffective on offense. Like the Phillies, though, they're set at first base (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and DH (George Springer).
Now Is Simply Not the Right Time
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Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have been a power-starved team ever since Devers left, so maybe they're having second thoughts?
Yeah, right. Both sides would probably rather do just about anything else than get back together. And besides, Boston is going nowhere fast at 17-24.
Houston Astros
Yordan Alvarez has the DH spot locked down, but you could squint and see a spot for Devers at first base if Christian Walker was still struggling.
He's not, however, and the reality is that the Astros' 16-27 start is more likely to lead to a sell-off ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
New York Mets
Nobody needs offense more than the Mets, who rank ahead of only the Giants with an average of 3.63 runs per game. And yeah, they have the money for Devers.
But given how things are going amid their 16-25 start, do you really think Steve Cohen or David Stearns have the appetite for another high-cost, high-risk player? One doubts it.
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5. Texas Rangers
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Record: 20-22
DH Stats: .693 OPS, 4 HR, 0.1 rWAR
Why It Should Happen
The Rangers have a 104 OPS+, which technically means their offense is above-average. But that can't be right, as they otherwise wouldn't rank 28th in scoring.
Sure, Corey Seager will get going and a healthy Wyatt Langford will be an asset eventually. Apart from them, though, nobody in Texas' collection of bats really scares you. Another bopper is needed.
Hence Devers, and the Rangers are one of few teams that might actually consider playing him at first base instead of DH. Joc Pederson is at least playable as a regular DH, whereas Jake Burger is a replacement-level first baseman.
Plus, it just feels like the Rangers should take a big swing, doesn't it? They're now three years removed from winning the World Series, and they're running out of chances to prove it wasn't a total fluke.
How Would This Even Work?
Welcome to the hard part of this concept. Because if the plan was to keep Pederson around, there otherwise wouldn't be a good candidate for a bad contract swap on the Rangers' end.
As such, the only feasible way forward might involve the Giants paying down the bulk of Devers' remaining contract for the sake of buying prospects from Texas. And once you get past Sebastian Walcott, there's not a lot there.
4. San Diego Padres
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Record: 24-17
DH Stats: .678 OPS, 3 HR, 0.0 rWAR
Why It Should Happen
The Padres wake up on Wednesday in first place in the NL West. If they needed a cue that this is their year to take down the Dodgers, there it is.
The offense, though, clearly needs a boost. Even if it doesn't feel quite as radioactive, the Padres' 87 OPS+ ranks ahead of only the Mets. And as you can see from the numbers above, DH is absolutely part of the problem.
The Padres could hope that keeping Devers in the NL West would work to their benefit. It also couldn't hurt to get him out of Oracle Park, where he only has a .775 OPS versus a career OPS of .849. Petco Park is a hitting haven by comparison.
Acquiring Devers would break up the Gavin Sheets/Miguel Andujar platoon at DH, but that's no big loss. Sheets can also play the outfield and first base, while Andujar is best used as a bench bat.
How Would This Even Work?
Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are basically dead money for the Padres, but each is also capable of blocking a trade. That leaves Jake Cronenworth as the best bet for a bad contract swap, and he's not even making $11.5 million annually.
That's far from a proper counter-balance for Devers' $29.7 million average salary. As such, even this "bad contract swap" would require the Giants to eat a ton of money or kick in other players to even out a surplus value mismatch.
3. Detroit Tigers
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Record: 19-23
DH Stats: .629 OPS, 4 HR, 0.3 rWAR
Why It Should Happen
Ah, but are the Tigers still potential trade buyers while Tarik Skubal is out?
It's a fair question, but Skubal's apparently shorter-than-expected recovery timeline isn't the only reason for optimism. With the AL Central and American League in general struggling to pull away, it's not as if the Tigers are in a deep hole.
What's true either way is that they need a bat, and specifically a power bat. They've hit only 38 home runs, ranking them firmly in the bottom 10 of MLB.
This is just one aspect of why Devers should appeal to them. The other is that he would stop a pathetic revolving door at DH. Colt Keith has taken the bulk of his plate appearances there, and he's still stuck on zero home runs.
How Would This Even Work?
Javier Báez is owed $24 million this year and the next, so he stands out as a reasonable pick to build a deal around. Which is good, because the Tigers are otherwise short on players who would work for such purposes.
With their rotation looking a little thin, you ever wonder if the Tigers could push for Robbie Ray as well. He'd add a $25 million salary to their books, but it would only be for the rest of this season. In exchange, the Tigers could kick in only a low-level prospect.
2. Seattle Mariners
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Record: 21-22
DH Stats: .617 OPS, 5 HR, 0.3 rWAR
Why It Should Happen
It's still early, but the whole vibe of the Mariners' offense has definitely shifted. It looked elite on Opening Day. Now it looks decidedly mid.
It's not all one person's fault, but Cal Raleigh (.166 AVG, 7 HR) might as well be parading around saying, "I told you not to expect another 60 home runs!" He's not actually going to pursue Chris Davis-levels of offensive futility all year, but the Mariners should probably write off a return to his 2025 form.
Acquiring Devers would be a means to pick up some of the resulting slack. Yes, he'd be another lefty bat for a lineup that skews left-handed. And no, he wouldn't bring down the club's swing-and-miss tendency. But he's also a 30-homer threat when he's right, and he even has a .938 OPS at T-Mobile Park.
Especially since he'd only be displacing Dominic Canzone, a guy like that is absolutely worth pursuing… at least on paper, anyway.
How Would This Even Work?
The Giants could take on Luis Castillo, who's now a non-viable starter with $24.15 million salaries for this year and in 2027. Given how much longer it still has to go, though, there's no way the Mariners would do a deal without the Giants eating a hefty chunk of Devers' remaining contract.
Maybe then and only then, the Mariners would be willing to talk surrendering a prospect. Knowing Buster Posey's background and apparent pickiness as to what makes a good catcher, he might enjoy taking on Luke Stevenson as a project.
1. Atlanta Braves
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Record: 29-13
DH Stats: .926 OPS, 10 HR, 1.4 rWAR
Why It Should Happen
The Braves are the highest scoring team in MLB, and only the Astros are getting better productivity from the DH spot. So… yeah, what?
Fair question, but there are times when it makes sense for a contender to lean further into a strength in lieu of playing Whac-a-Mole with weaknesses. That could make sense for Atlanta, especially if it meant addressing the DH spot.
It's been productive, but the bulk of that damage has been done by Dominic Smith. Even though it's a fun story, a team is always playing with house money whenever a guy with a career 101 OPS+ suddenly has a 165 OPS+.
In theory, Devers would be a more solid rock at DH. Further, Atlanta is the best place for his low-key personality. He'd get to compete, but he'd be surrounded by so many stars that he wouldn't need to be the face of the franchise.
How Would This Even Work?
The Braves have a number of long-term contracts that are no longer working for them, and thus could be jettisoned to San Francisco in a Devers deal. Sean Murphy is one possibility. Austin Riley is another, more compelling possibility.
The Braves also have some young arms they could ship to San Francisco to complete a deal. Even one of the injured ones (i.e., Spencer Schwellenbach or Hurston Waldrep) could be a workable centerpiece.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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