Rafael Devers entered the final weeks of the San Francisco Giants’ season with two very different storylines following him.
He had reestablished himself as one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters, but San Francisco’s disappointing year left open the possibility that the organization could consider another dramatic trade this winter.
The latest comments from two prominent baseball voices suggest the Giants are heading in a different direction.
That represents a meaningful shift from June, when Posey acknowledged that San Francisco had to keep its options open as the season unraveled. No deadline deal materialized, and Devers then strengthened his standing by producing one of the best stretches of his Giants tenure.
MLB Network insider Jon Morosi said he sees “almost no chance” of Devers changing teams during the offseason. That is an informed assessment rather than a report that the Giants have formally made Devers untouchable. However, Buster Posey’s newly revealed plans provide stronger evidence that Devers remains central to the organization’s future.
Posey Already Has a 2027 Role for Devers
In a September 17 interview with Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, Posey described a position-player group built around Devers, Bryce Eldridge, Matt Chapman and Willy Adames.
The Giants’ president of baseball operations said Devers and Eldridge could rotate between first base and designated hitter. More importantly, Posey declared that “pitching is going to be the focus” of San Francisco’s offseason.
That does not sound like an executive preparing to remove his best hitter from the lineup.
Devers finished his season with a .258 average, 37 home runs and 98 RBIs. He underwent successful surgery to repair a left-side core muscle injury on September 15, and MLB.com reported that his baseline recovery timeline is approximately three months.
If his rehabilitation proceeds as expected, Devers should have enough time to prepare for 2027.
Giants’ Bigger Question Has Shifted
Moving Devers was always going to be complicated. MLB.com reported in June that he is owed $211 million from 2027 through 2033, including $52.5 million in deferred salary.
His late-season production made the idea even less sensible. Posey told the Standard that Devers performed like one of baseball’s top hitters from May 1 forward. The executive also acknowledged how difficult it has been to attract elite free-agent hitters to San Francisco.
The Giants now appear more interested in building around the star they already have.
Morosi’s comments should not be presented as a guarantee. San Francisco could always listen if another team makes an unexpected offer, and Posey has not publicly promised that Devers will remain a Giant.
Still, Posey did something more meaningful than dismissing a rumor. He outlined a 2027 lineup that already includes Devers and identified an entirely different area of the roster as his winter priority.
The question may no longer be whether the Giants will trade Devers. It is whether Posey can finally assemble enough pitching around him to make his production matter.
Buster Posey’s New Giants Blueprint Answers Rafael Devers Question