Giants writer’s diabolical new Rafael Devers nickname paints Red Sox trade in new light

In the wake of one of the biggest trades in their organization's history, the Boston Red Sox might've had some regrets. After it shipped Rafael Devers across the country to San Francisco with more than eight years left on his decade-long contract, its home run numbers plummeted and Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs, leaving Boston without a third baseman

Many fans wished to have Devers back, not only to make the Red Sox better, but to right the wrong of an utterly atrocious trade by Craig Breslow. But those fans pined for a different Devers, the old Devers.

The third baseman-turned-designated hitter-turned-first baseman hasn't looked like himself since he arrived in Northern California — at least, not the version that Red Sox fans knew. He slashed .236/.347/.460 with the Giants over 90 games last season and managed to finish the year with 35 total home runs, but 2026 hasn't been the same. He's batting .210/.250/.290 with just six extra-base hits over 32 games so far in 2026.

Columnist Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News came up with an unfortunately apt nickname to describe the early part of Devers' tenure with the Giants. The player formerly known as " "Raffy" or "The New York Yankees' Father" has officially been dubbed "The Reverse Panda."

San Francisco columnist has given former Red Sox Rafael Devers "Reverse Panda" nickname

After a great, seven-year start to his career with the Giants, the Red Sox signed Patrick Sandoval as a free agent. He spent less than three full seasons in Boston, where his .294/.346/.465 slash line from his time in San Francisco plummeted to .237/.286/.360. Sandoval with the Giants placed twice in the National League MVP race and earned two All-Star nominations, but he never earned another such reward after leaving San Francisco for the East Coast.

The Red Sox signed Sandoval to a five-year, $90 million deal and he only made it to two and a half years before they designated him for assignment. Devers, for better or for worse, has a much longer leash in San Francisco. The hundreds of millions of dollars left on his contract will give the Giants more than enough motivation to help him turn it around.

Still, things aren't going well for Devers right now and the Giants expected a star at the plate when they traded for him. Last year, Devers took more walks than ever and ranked in the 98th percentile in walk rate. This year, it's down to the 14th percentile. Devers chased 25.6 percent of the time in 2025, ranking in the 66th percentile. His 2026 chase rate is up to 32.2 and he ranks in the 33rd percentile. Even Devers' bat speed is down, a concerning trend health- and strength-wise, which has been on the steady decline for years. Since 2023, his average bat speed has decreased 2.1 miles per hour, from 73.1 to 71.3.

Maybe the Red Sox were right to move on from Devers when they did, besides the horrendous return from the Giants and botched Bregman reunion. Maybe Devers really is the Reverse Panda. He may take a while to fully adjust to life in San Francisco at Oracle Park and he could eventually emerge as his former self, but for now, while he struggles, fans are going to throw nicknames around.

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