It wasn’t long ago that Rafael Devers, one of baseball’s most fearsome left-handed bats, stood at Fenway Park, playing at DH instead of 3B after Alex Bregman’s arrival in the clubhouse. The Red Sox again asked him to move off first base following Triston Casas’ injury, but Devers pulled back. He didn’t want to be a passenger in someone else’s rebuild. The front office framed it as versatility. Devers saw it as disrespect.
Now, just weeks later, he’s wearing a different uniform. And for the first time in months, his body language is saying something else entirely.
The man behind the move? Buster Posey, the Giants’ President of Baseball Operations. A man who’s navigated enough locker rooms to know how talent and temperament often collide. Posey didn’t inherit Devers; he handpicked him. And despite pulling off what Boston couldn’t, retaining Devers’ upside while resetting his mindset, Posey refused to hand over the keys without conditions.
“There’s the possibility to play third some with [Matt] Chapman out, to get some in at first, and DH,” Posey told reporters. “By all accounts… (Rafael Devers) He’s a winner. He wants to do what he can to help the team. Obviously there was some back and forth with him and the Red Sox… but he’s excited to be in San Francisco and help our team win.”
As expected, Giants POBO Buster Posey has indicated that Rafael Devers will see time at 1B and DH, but could also see some time back at the hot corner while Gold- and Platinum-Glover Matt Chapman is on the IL.
Devers will take up arms against his old team this coming weekend. https://t.co/yFFIpK5MBo pic.twitter.com/zIaY5rfJxJ
— Not Gaetti (@notgaetti) June 16, 2025
That quote hit like a subtle fastball on the inside corner. Posey wasn’t just talking role flexibility; he was resetting expectations. Yes, Raffy would get another shot at third base, but only because Chapman is on the injured list. The rest of the time? He’s going to rotate, adjust, and fit the team’s needs, not the other way around.
And here’s where it gets fascinating: Devers seems all in. Whether it’s the change of scenery, the clearer communication, or simply the pressure valve being released, something has clicked. The same player who resisted positional shifts in Boston is now fielding reps at first, hitting in cages between DH days, and preparing to line up at third this weekend, against his former team.
The Red Sox may have lost patience with their franchise cornerstone. But the Giants? They didn’t promise him a throne; they gave him a blueprint. The message is simple: We believe in your bat, but your glove still has work to do. And this time, Rafael Devers is lacing up.
Rafael Devers: Giants land a star in stunning June blockbuster
Nobody saw it coming, not this soon, not this bold. On June 15, 2025, the San Francisco Giants threw down the gauntlet and shocked the baseball world by acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. In a four-player package that sent pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III, and minor league righty Jose Bello to Boston, the Giants grabbed one of the league’s most dangerous left-handed bats. Hours earlier, Devers had just launched a towering homer to sink the Yankees 2–0. By nightfall, he was heading west.
Inside the Giants’ clubhouse, the mood flipped instantly. Logan Webb, their ace and clubhouse leader, didn’t hold back. “Any time you have a player of that caliber, I think you give yourself a chance,” Webb told reporters. “I don’t know where he’s going to hit, but I don’t think it really matters. The guy’s a stud, plain and simple. I’m ecstatic about it.” This wasn’t just about numbers; it was about belief. The kind of belief that tells your clubhouse the front office is ready to fight, not fold.
Devers’ .272 average, 15 home runs, and league-leading 55 walks now fuel a San Francisco lineup that suddenly looks playoff-worthy, if not downright dangerous.
Rafael Devers’ arrival came just in time for a rivalry clash that now carries added heat. Last game, against the Dodgers, may have ended in a loss for the Giants. But it was evident that San Francisco is not merely aiming to stay competitive; they are pursuing goals. And this recent move serves as a declaration of their ambitions. A team that believes it can win now.
And with a $313.5 million bat in the heart of the order, the rest of the National League just got a whole lot more uncomfortable.
The post Giants Send Clear Message to Rafael Devers Despite Pulling Off What Red Sox Failed to Do appeared first on EssentiallySports.