The Boston Red Sox pleaded with All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to move to first base in April, but he refused.
They begged him to return to third base when Alex Bregman was injured, but he declined.
The team apparently had enough.
In one of the most stunning mid-season trades in years, Boston unloaded Devers, trading their homegrown star to the San Francisco Giants.
The Red Sox, in return, receive pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, and prospects James Tibbs and Jose Bello, in a trade that was first reported by Fansided. Harrison (1-1, 4.56 ERA), a former Giants top prospect, is the best player in the Giants’ package going to Boston. They also freed up the remainder of his 10-year, $313.5 million contract.
The Giants will pay the entirety of Devers’ deal, with the slugger still owed more than $250 million. The Red Sox will pay the rest of Hicks’ four-year, $44 million contract, with 2 ½ years remaining.
While Devers certainly angered Red Sox GM Craig Breslow by refusing to move from DH, with Red Sox owner John Henry even trying to intervene, there were no rumors or even the slightest speculation that the Red Sox were so upset they would trade him.
The deal sent shockwaves through the San Diego Padres’ clubhouse after their victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nobody believed it until one of the Padres players telephoned Devers himself, who confirmed he was the move.
The trade was MLB’s version of the Luca Doncic-Anthony Davis trade with the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2.
“I can’t believe it, you kidding me,’ one Padres player said. “I mean, I knew the Giants were looking for a first baseman, but Devers? Wow!’
Devers, 28, a three-time All Star, is hitting .272 with 15 homers and 58 RBI this season with a .905 OPS. He has three seasons of at least 30 homers and 100 RBI.
The Giants, meanwhile, haven’t had a 30-home run hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004.
Devers becomes the latest Red Sox star to go from Boston to the NL West in the last five yars. The Red Sox traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, shortstop Xander Bogaerts signed a 11-year, $280 million free-agent contract with the Padres in 2022, and now Devers moves to San Francisco.
It was also the latest big move in the aftermath of a Yankee-Red Sox series.
The Red Sox fired GM Dave Dombrowski in September 2019, fired GM Chaim Bloom in Sept. 2023, and now, in the moments after a three-game sweep over the Yankees, they traded their biggest star since Betts.
The trade came so late that the Giants were only five minutes away from starting their Sunday night game against Dodgers when manager Bob Melvin received the news. Harrison, who was scheduled to start the game, instead was replaced by Sean Hjelle.
It was certainly the biggest move since Buster Posey became the Giants president of baseball operations last September. The Giants, 41-30, who entered the night one game behind the Dodgers, have been searching for a power-hitting first baseman all season. Their first basemen are hitting just .204 with five homers and a .638 OPS this season ,fourth-worst in MLB. They also are without All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman for about a month with a sprained right hand.
The Giants certainly aren’t shy about spending money to return to prominence. They have spent more than $600 million in the last 10 months signing Chapman to a six-year, $151 million extension, signing shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal and now picking up the remainder of Dever’s $313 million contract.
It certainly won’t be long for Devers to say his proper farewells to his teammates.
The Red Sox travel to San Franciso on Friday for a three-game series against the Giants.
Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.
This story has been updated with new information.