Looks like the big slugger is done for the year. He apparently needs surgery on a "core" muscle. The problem is supposedly similar to that which sidelined Matt Chapman earlier in the year. Devers will be operated on this week and should be fully ready for 2027.
The Devers contract is a massive one. There was a lot of talk early in the season when he was not hitting about the Giants being "underwater" on the deal. That they wanted to move him, that the deal was "weighing down" the team payroll, that the contract was an "albatross," yadda-yadda-yadda.
Big contracts come with those attendant stories. They are just part of the narrative. The fact is, Rafael Devers is an elite MLB power hitter whose salary is perfectly in line with the going rate for such players. He's paid at a level commensurate with his talent. If one WAR is worth $10M then a 3-WAR player is worth $30M annually. Devers bWAR this year is 3.8, last year it was 4.3 (1.9 in 90G with SF), and 3.9 the year before that.
One thing we know is that Rafi could hit 50 homers and it wouldn't move the needle much on the team's win total. The Giants need pitching! But if/when they do get some decent pitching (and fielding), Devers' bat will be a difference-maker.
And I can't wait to see 22-year old Bryce Eldridge next season!
There's talk of shutting down Logan Webb as well. That's probably a good move. There's a good chance he's just thrown too many damn innings and he needs a break.
--M.C.
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Here are the players with a higher contract value than Devers ($315M for 10 years):
Juan Soto
Vald Guerrero
Shohei
Mike Trout
Mookie Betts
Aaron Judge
Manny Machado
Francisco Lindor
Fernando Tatis
Bryce Harper
Giancarlo Stanton
Corey Seager
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Gerrit Cole
Devers sits here, one spot above Trea Turner ($300M, 10 yrs).
Those core muscle injuries can get in the way. I played competitive tennis in the 1960's and 1970's. At some point I developed a core muscle injury, and for days after any match I was in so much pain. It was the serve that caused it. I rested for a few years, and also at that time I had multiple hernia surgeries. There were no overt visible hernia's at that time, it took back then an expert to make the diagnosis. Even after, I was kind of afraid of what the pain would be after serving during a match, but the serious pain never returned to anywhere near the level it was at. It did not seem to effect the results while I was playing the subsequent pain was almost intolerable for several days. I could not play matches in back to back days. Hard to imagine how bad these injuries effect players at the MLB level, especially those who have to play every day. Today they are much better at diagnosing the problem.
I watch guys like Devers swing and the violence is palpable--I can't believe he can play with an injury like that, let alone play at an elite level.
It's interesting how physical and almost out-of-control his swings are. He stumbles backwards a lot and falls out of the box. Add in the open stance and the big step and he is a lot of moving parts!
Contrast him to Bonds who never looked off-balance. He swing was so compact and so smooth. He rarely if ever lost his footing or stumbled.
There are lots of ways to be a successful slugger, I guess.
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