When the Boston Red Sox front office shocked the baseball world back in June by trading superstar slugger Rafael Devers, things looked anything but rosy.
Alex Bregman had been on the injured list for around two weeks, and Boston opted not to ask Devers to head back out to the field again for the second time in 2025 — this time at his usual third base. Instead, the team called up Marcelo Mayer, shifted Devers across the country, and dug in for what could have delivered an extended bout of pain.
After the trade, momentum decidedly shifted back in Boston’s favor, and San Francisco, a team that looked extremely menacing in an NL division home to plenty of menace (and the Rockies), crashed and burned before the postseason.
After what initially appeared to be highway robbery of Boston’s best hitter, San Francisco promptly found itself demolished by the White Sox, losing two of three, and swept by the Marlins. In July, Devers’ new club was swept three times: By the Blue Jays, Mets, and Pirates. All the while, Devers slowly acclimated to the new ballpark to a batting average of .230 while sending just two balls over the outfield wall. Lots went wrong for the Giants, but an ice cold Devers absolutely didn’t help. He struck out 29 times in July, the most of any season throughout his career during that month.
Rafael Devers' hot streak with Giants came too late to salvage playoff chances
The San Francisco Giants made three deals at the trade deadline this season.
— SF Giants Update (@Giants__Update) August 1, 2025
A thread of all the players acquired and where they are headed 🧵#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/0vDU1CTrbW
He’s been at the center of a brawl with the Rockies, and the money not spent on his luxurious contract helped the Red Sox secure Roman Anthony’s services long into the future.
San Fran ended up selling at the trade deadline, moving Camilo Doval and Mike Yastrzemski, most notably. Buster Posey took a big swing to get a huge bat, but it simply didn’t work out.
Raffy found his groove late in the season. While his July numbers were appalling, In August he hit .291 and put up his best August-month figures ever for home runs (9), RBIs (20, and tied with his 2019 and 2020 seasons), and walks.
By the time his bat was ready to produce, the Giants had already all but completely fallen out of contention and punted their postseason hopes to 2026. Red Sox fans know all too well that Devers can be hot and cold at the plate. He fell apart again in September, and only batted .200/.321/.453.
During his time on the West Coast, Devers has taken up first base and delivered middling results overall, but Boston has flourished with exciting new talent and an inspired clubhouse reinvigorated and ready to compete. Shipping him off unceremoniously at the end of a big series and leaving him behind on the tarmac felt cruel at the time, but perhaps it was just the jolt the Red Sox needed to put wind in the group’s sails.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox didn't get far in the postseason and lost to the Yankees in the Wild Card round. Not only is Devers a Yankee killer, but he crushes velocity and can hit for power — all things Boston lacked on its playoff roster. Trading Devers may have helped clean up some clubhouse issues, but it did cost the Red Sox in the end.