The San Francisco Giants are staring down a brutal reality. One year after trading for Rafael Devers, the star third baseman has become more of a financial anchor than a lineup anchor. And if the front office is thinking about moving him before the trade deadline, they’re going to have to swallow a massive pill.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Giants would likely need to eat at least 40 percent of Devers’ remaining contract just to get a deal done. “To trade Devers, how bad would that look to pay that down by 40%? He’s got a WAR of basically zero. I think you’d have to pay it down to at least 40%,” Heyman said during a segment on B/R Walk-Off. “Would they do that? Seems unusual and unlikely.”
The numbers don’t lie
Devers has posted a WAR near zero this season, a staggering drop for a player who was once considered one of the most dangerous left-handed bats in the game. The Giants acquired him from the Boston Red Sox in a high-profile deal last summer, but the move hasn’t worked out for either side. The Red Sox moved on from a franchise cornerstone, and the Giants inherited a player who has struggled to find his rhythm in the National League.
Just a month ago, reports suggested San Francisco had no intention of trading Devers. “Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman — the Giants have not internally discussed trading any of those players,” insider Robert Murray said on Foul Territory. “They want to continue to build around them. They want to continue to try to compete this season.”
But the Giants are losing ground fast. Sitting below .500 with a lineup that has underperformed across the board, the front office may have no choice but to pivot. The question is whether they can afford to admit the experiment failed.
Who gets the blame?
Some have pointed to the Giants’ hitting coach as a scapegoat for the team’s offensive woes. Ken Rosenthal pushed back hard on that idea. “I can’t put it on the hitting coach, even though they’ve gone to a slightly different style this year; it’s a greater emphasis on contact…but Devers, Chapman, and Adames — these guys have long track records. No hitting coach is going to wreck them,” Rosenthal said. “Now, might the hitting coach be scapegoated? Absolutely, but it would be just that.”
Devers isn’t the only Giant with trade rumors swirling. Heyman also mentioned Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray as the team’s safest trade candidates, though moving either would signal a full-scale sell-off rather than a retooling.
For now, San Francisco is stuck. Pay down Devers’ contract and admit the trade was a mistake? Or keep him and hope he turns it around, risking another lost season? The clock is ticking toward the trade deadline, and every loss makes the decision harder.
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