One year after the Red Sox washed their hands of Rafael Devers, the San Francisco Giants are putting up the star slugger up for sale.
The Red Sox can take some satisfaction that another team is trying to get out of Devers’ $313.5 million contract. However, it offers little solace since Boston doesn’t stand to benefit from it.
A year after the trade, and it’s safe to say it was a lose-lose trade for both teams. Devers has not been the same hitter with the Giants while the Red Sox did virtually nothing with the return. The Devers trade may still be haunting Boston to this day.
While they made the postseason without him, their offense took a major step backwards in 2026. They rank 24th in OPS (.692) and 25th in wRC+ (90) through June 15. That has contributed to them scoring the sixth-fewest runs per game (4.03) and their 29-40 record.
How Has Rafael Devers Fared Since Leaving the Red Sox
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 06: Rafael Devers #16 of the San Francisco Giants reacts after being called out on strikes in the tenth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 06, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Sage Zipeto/Getty Images)
Upon the trade, the Giants assumed the remainder of Rafael Devers’ deal, which was $250 million at the time.
In his first year in San Francisco, Devers put up a .236/.347/.460 slash with 20 home runs in 90 games. FanGraphs estimated his offense to be 26% better than the league-average hitter, with a 126 wRC+. That mark led the team.
However, Devers has not been the same hitter in 2026. He’s currently slashing just .235/.293/.413 with nine home runs. Throw in subpar first base defense, a position he refused to play for Boston, and he’s been a replacement-level player. He currently has 0.0 fWAR for the season.
Looking under the hood, it’s easy to point out where Devers has struggled. His strikeout rate has spiked to a career-high 30.3% while sporting just a 7.5% walk rate. While his exit velocity numbers are still strong, with a 91.9 MPH average and a 49.5% hard-hit rate, it hasn’t translated into barrels.
Devers’ barrel rate has dropped to just 9.5%, the lowest full-season rate of his career. Much of that is attributed to him getting under the ball. According to Statcast, Devers is producing a launch angle north of 40 degrees on more than 27% of his batted balls. To put that into practicality, he’s hitting a lot of lazy fly balls when he makes contact.
Failed Rafael Devers Trade Spells Doom for Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow
While the Red Sox got a pretty nice return for Rafael Devers, they did very little with it. In addition to taking Jordan Hicks‘ contract, they got Kyle Harrison and James Tibbs III in the deal. All three players ultimately were traded by Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow before the start of the next season.
All the Red Sox have left for the Devers deal is third baseman Caleb Durbin. Perhaps that says it all, as Durbin is hitting just .198 with a .568 OPS in his first year in Boston. In a matter of two seasons, they went from one perennial All-Star to another, then a light-hitting, defensive-first type of third baseman contributing to their offensive struggles.
Ultimately, the fallout from the Devers trade will be just one reason that Breslow will not likely keep his job after the season. Not when his two bosses are referring to this season as “embarrassing” and “highly frustrating”.
Former Red Sox Star Slugger Being Shopped by Giants at Deadline