Giants acquire star third baseman Rafael Devers for pitchers Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and prospects

Justice delos Santos, Bay Area News Group on Jun 15, 2025

Published in Baseball

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LOS ANGELES — Buster Posey has taken his first major trade swing as the Giants’ president of baseball operations by acquiring three-time All-Star third baseman and designated hitter Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in a stunning deal.

The return for Devers includes left-hander Kyle Harrison and right-hander Jordan Hicks, as well as minor-league prospects James Tibbs III and right-hander Jose Bello.

The Red Sox will not send any money to help pay for the remaining sum of the 11-year, $330 million extension that Devers signed before the 2023 season, according to multiple reports.

News of the deal broke from FanSided’s Robert Murray just before Sunday’s game, and the Giants announced it during the fifth inning.

Harrison, a 23-year-old East Bay native, was scheduled to start for San Francisco on Sunday against the Dodgers but was scratched and replaced by right-hander Sean Hjelle.

Devers, a two-time Silver Slugger, is one of baseball’s best third basemen. Over nine seasons in the majors, Devers has a career slash line of .279/.349/.509 with 214 home runs and 695 RBIs. This season, Devers has an .894 OPS with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs.

The 28-year-old joins a lineup in much need of power. Entering Sunday, the Giants rank 19th in runs (163) and 21st in OPS (.691) since the beginning of May. On June 4, Posey designated first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment and signed Dominic Smith as part of a seismic roster shakeup.

The trade comes at a time when starting third baseman Matt Chapman is currently on the 10-day injured list due to right hand inflammation and is set to miss the next three to four weeks. Casey Schmitt has done an excellent job of filling in for Chapman, going 5-for-19 with three homers and 11 RBIs over five games and becoming the first Giant in franchise history to hit grand slams in back-to-back games. That said, Devers will obviously take precedence.

Devers has been used exclusively as a designated hitter this season, but Devers will likely fill in for Chapman at third base for the time being. Once Chapman returns, the Giants will have to figure out where Devers will play.

Boston’s relationship with Devers became strained this season when the Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman and asked Devers to give up the position and become their primary designated hitter. Devers publicly expressed his discontent, but eventually agreed to the move, only to be asked to play a new field position when first baseman Triston Casas ruptured his patellar tendon in May. The Dominican star criticized Red Sox management and the team ultimately backed down from the request, leaving him to DH.

Devers has far better career numbers than Wilmer Flores, the Giants’ current everyday designated hitter, but Flores has been an integral part of the lineup and led the team with 51 RBIs entering Sunday.

Flores could slide over to first base and split time with the left-handed-hitting Smith, but the Giants have talked repeatedly about using Flores as the designated hitter to keep him healthy after he underwent a season-ending Tenex procedure on his right knee last year.

It will be interesting to see whether Devers will change his stance on moving to first base, too.

Whatever the defensive alignment, it’s clear Devers brings more offensive firepower to a Giants lineup that went through historic scoring struggles in May before starting the month on a hot streak that has propelled San Francisco into contention in the NL West.

Harrison, a De La Salle alum, finishes his Giants tenure with a 9-9 record and a 4.48 ERA over parts of three seasons. The former top prospect started this year at Triple-A after some spring struggles, then moved into the major-league bullpen before joining the rotation when Justin Verlander hit the injured list last month.

Hicks joined the Giants before the 2024 season and was converted from a high-powered closer into a starting pitcher before returning to the bullpen partway through this year. He appeared in 42 games for the Giants, including 29 starts, and went 5-12 with an ERA of 4.83.

Tibbs, a 22-year-old outfielder and first baseman, is ranked by MLB.com as the fourth-best prospect in the Giants’ pipeline. The former No. 13 overall pick has a slash line of .276/.379/.478 at High-A Eugene this season.

Bello has pitched 18 innings in relief in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League with a 2.00 ERA.