The 2025 Giants are (mostly) Farhan Zaidi's team. Buster Posey added Willy Adames in the off-season, a big move to be sure, but also a move that was a near-consensus prediction by baseball's punditry. In other words it wasn't shocking or surprising. It was actually the safe, non-controversial play, perfect for a rookie at the helm.
Trading for Rafael Devers in mid-season is something else entirely. This is Buster Posey donning his Superman cape! Just kidding, but it is more like something A.J. Preller of the Padres would do. It's what the scribes like to call a "blockbuster."
But this is life in the NL West. Look at the Diamondbacks—they signed Corbin Burnes in the off-season to a mega-deal and now he needs Tommy John surgery. But it was the right move at the time. They needed to beef up their rotation if they wanted to stay competitive. The Giants have to beef up their lineup if they want to stay competitive.
Buster and the Giants send four players to Boston: Kyle Harrison (who was supposed to start tonight), Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs (A+, OF/1B), and Jose Bello (Rk, RHP). Devers will be 29 in October. He's a legit star. He came up as a third baseman but when the Red Sox got Alex Bregman Devers moved to DH. He'll likely DH with the Giants. He's a lefty slugger with a career .279/.349/.509 slash line in 1052 G (4545 PA). He's tallied 273 doubles and 214 homers in his nine seasons (he debuted as a 20-year old in 2017).
Devers signed a huge deal (10 yrs, $313 M) before the 2023 season that covers the 2024-2033 seasons. The Giants are taking on the whole enchilada. I've been saying for years that the team can afford this stuff so it is OK with me if they want to spend some of those gigantic piles of moolah they've been sitting on. Funny that the Red Sox are parting ways with a guy who signed a "face of the franchise" kind of contract. But that's baseball—it's a business, after all.
Devers comes with a media tagline of "disgruntled star" because he wanted to play third base and not move to DH. But then he was fine and accepted the role and has hit well this year (.271/.400/.494). When the Red Sox talked about him playing first base, he balked. So, he got the "disgruntled" label. As long as he disgruntles to the tune of 30 HR and 100 RBI or something along those lines I'll be happy.
Anyway, it's a big price to pay for a big bat, and it is a big commitment. But Buster Posey is not just a ballplayer and a PoBO, he's a finance major. He understands all that accounting rigamarole. I'm sure the books will be balanced and they'll have more heaping piles of moolah to spend later. That is, this is MLB. Stud players cost money. If the Giants want to be a playoff-caliber team, then "spend money on quality players" is a really good plan.
This trade is possible because (1) the Giants are doing well in the standings and (2) they have a bit of a surplus in the pitching department. It's too bad they have to give up on Harrison, him being a local boy and all that, signed out of HS, etc. But you have to take risks and give up talent to get talent. The two prospects traded included the Giants #1 pick last year (Tibbs) and a flame-throwing 20-year old (Bello).
The Giants needed hitting and the Red Sox needed pitching. Let's hope it works out!
And by the way the Giants lost 5-4 tonight in LA.
Off-day tomorrow, then home for three with Cleveland and then Boston on the weekend.
--M.C.
I don't know about this trade. I think Harrison had huge upside, and I wonder how well Devers Fenway stats will translate to Oracle Park. We have more young pitchers for sure, so many that they've had to triple-up on the name Carson. But Harrison is useful now. Let's hope Devers is.
ReplyDeleteNomisnala
ReplyDeleteOne of the differences between trading the young harrison than the young wheeler, is we got more than a rental. But a lot depends on the personality of Devers. In the long run harrison projects to be a stud. Bello is 20 and so far looks good. Tibbs needs some post college development and could eventually be a solid mlb hitter. Looks like if we lose some of our older pitchers in the next couple of years we won't have harrison. I still cringe everytime wheeler pitches for someone other than the giants. Devers opposite field power should work ok at oracle. Today a 20 homer, 280 hitter almost seems like getting Willie Mays. Back in the day 280, 30 homers was good, but not great.
ReplyDeleteDavid Pinto at Baseball Musings linked to my post!
ReplyDeleteFanGraphs rates Bello as our #22 prospect and Tibbs as our #4 prospect (behind Eldridge, Whisenhunt, and 17-year old SS Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez).
ReplyDeletehttps://blogs.fangraphs.com/san-francisco-giants-top-41-prospects/
From MLBTR:
ReplyDeleteEven if Devers seems ticketed to spend the next eight-plus years as a pricey DH for the Giants, it’s difficult to criticize the move from San Francisco’s perspective. After all, the organization’s difficulties wooing to offensive talents are well-documented. Failed attempts to court players like Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa, and Aaron Judge to the city over the past decade have created a reputation surrounding the club that they struggle to attract top offensive talents, and while recent deals for Chapman and Willy Adames have helped to put that narrative to bed somewhat it’s still understandable that president of baseball operations Buster Posey would turn to the trade market to land a middle-of-the-order force rather than pursue a top free agent and risk coming up empty. That’s especially true given that Devers’s contract looks fairly reasonable compared to some more recent deals, even for a player with limited defensive value. Setting aside Juan Soto’s $765MM megadeal with the Mets from this past winter, even Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 14-year, $500MM contract extension with the Blue Jays earlier this season makes Devers’s deal look like a steal by comparison.
Correa signed with the giants. The giants medical staff rejected his physical. Most folks suggest that Judge was never going to leave the pinstripes. Stanton on the other hand always hit exceptionally well in SF, so perhaps he had another reason.
DeleteThe Giants finally have an impact bat, a true no. 3-4 hitter.
ReplyDeleteThe Giants have a homegrown core: Fitz, Schmitt, Bailey, Ramos, Matos, Doval, RandyRo, Walker, Roupp, Birdsong, Hjelle, etc. that are all very cheap. Plus two homegrown vets: Webb and Rogers. Webb is signed thru 2029. Rogers is a FA next year.
ReplyDeleteThe big ticket guys are Devers, Chapman, and Adames. I guess you can include Lee (and Webb) in that. Ray is signed for next year but a FA in 2027.
Payroll-wise the Giants still have a lot a maneuvering room. They've pulled that off because they have gradually replaced everyone with low-cost, freshly-drafted minor-leaguers. That means you can go out and buy the pieces you need to get better.
FZ put the team in a good place and now Buster is taking advantage of that.
Verlander, Yaz, and Murphy are off the books next year.
So we got:
ReplyDeleteFlores, 1st, DH
Schmitt, 1st, 3rd, DH
Devers, 3rd, DH
Chapman, 3rd
Encarnacion, 1st, DH, (OF?)
Smith, 1st, DH
Sounds like a log jam.
You make "logjam" sound like a bad thing. It's a good thing! You have to have surplus talent.
ReplyDeleteYes, some of those guys will get the axe. I don't think anyone expected Smith or Johnson or even Encarnacion to be more than temporary players. They have Eldridge at AAA. Flores is a FA at the end of this season. Schmitt is part of the Youth Corps, he's staying.
Here's where we do not have one of those good things log jams:
ReplyDeletePitcher
Catcher
2nd base
Shortstop
Outfield
At pitcher, we have one guy over forty coming off the IL, and 2 youngsters who are in their rookie seasons (not sure what Birdsong's status is, but he's damn young). Maybe there is another trade or two to be made.
You make trades to improve the team when you are in a pennant race. I'm all for improvements! Devers checks off the currently-most-important box, that of improving the lineup.
ReplyDeleteCatcher has been a cluster, no doubt. We need Bailey back.
I'm not worried about SS. Adames will come around. In fact he is hitting better.
Fitzy is struggling but like Schmitt he's part of the Youngster Brigade and is not going anywhere.
Ramos is a legit MLB LF. He is the best hitter on the team not named Rafael Devers. Jung Hoo Lee is a legit MLB CF. Yaz is having another solid year. Outfield may not be a logjam but it is a team strength.
I think the Devers move is very exciting and should get the fanbase energized. The team is spending to win and that's the way it should be.
analysts have Fitzgerald as the 14th fastest player in baseball and the fastest second baseman. Probably why his DWAR is so high. Several giants continue to need better strike zone discipline. Fitzgerald, Adamas, and Schmidt are among them. This year, Bailey can be added to the list. When Fitzgerald was getting good pitches to hit last year he was crushing them. Pitchers now know they can get him out while barely having to throw him a strike.
ReplyDeleteReally good energy at the park last night for Devers. Kind of that stop-everything-and-watch-this-at-bat energy I haven’t seen since the Bond days. The fan base is ready to embrace the next slugger (perhaps desperately so).
ReplyDeleteWith the Giants struggles to sign free agents, I like this trade approach for players that are under team control long term.
Eight more seasons after this one! Let's hope his bat comes alive soon.
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