How Devers trade is ‘inspiring' Melvin, Giants in middle of season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – About 24 hours before the Giants held an introductory press conference to celebrate the arrival of trade acquisition Rafael Devers, manager Bob Melvin already had a good feel for how well the three-time All-Star infielder would be welcomed by fans in the Bay Area.
Taking a walk near his home in downtown San Francisco, Melvin spoke with a few fans who excitedly shared their feelings about Devers with the Giants skipper.
“There was such a buzz, it was really cool,” Melvin said. “It was really inspiring to know that everybody’s following this closely and there’s an excitement to it. Can’t say enough good things about him and the quality of the acquisition that we got.”
Devers, a 28-year-old power-hitting infielder from the Dominican Republic, was obtained in a blockbuster trade from the Boston Red Sox that some are comparing to the deal that went down in the NBA when the Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in the middle of last season to obtain Luka Dončić.
The Giants’ deal for Devers isn’t on that level because San Francisco didn’t have to give up a star player in exchange. They shipped promising young pitcher Kyle Harrison along with veteran pitcher Jordan Hicks and a pair of prospects, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello, to the East Coast.
As part of the trade the Giants also agreed to pay the $250 million remaining on Devers’ contract that he initially signed with the Red Sox two seasons ago, a massive 10-year, $313.5 million deal through the 2033 MLB season.
Agreeing to that no doubt was a factor in negotiations, although Giants pitcher Justin Verlander seemed perfectly fine with it. Verlander has given up only one hit in 10 at-bats against Devers, the one hit being a home run in 2019.
“Been a fan from afar,” Verlander said. “Excited to add a player like that to our lineup.”
Devers’ departure from Boston came amid his frustrations that stemmed from the Red Sox consistently moving him around rather than allowing him to focus in one spot.
Traditionally a third baseman, Devers was moved to DH when Boston traded for Gold Glove winner Alex Bregman in the offseason, then was asked by team officials to change positions again after first baseman Triston Casas suffered a leg injury.
That isn’t expected to be an issue in San Francisco.
Melvin penciled Devers in as designated hitter batting in the No. 3 slot against the Cleveland Guardians at Oracle Park for Tuesday’s game. Dominic Smith is at first base while Wilmer Flores will begin the game on the bench.
Some combination of that trio will be used in future games, although Melvin was adamant that he has no designs on playing Devers at his normal third base, even with Matt Chapman and his Gold Glove on the injured list.
“I don’t want to move him around too much,” Melvin said. “He hasn’t played any defense this year. To put him at third for a couple weeks then move him over to first, DH him, I don’t think that’s a great idea. Casey [Schmitt] is good at third. We’re comfortable with that.”
It helps that Devers is much more open and agreeable to the Giants’ plans for him as opposed to the mess he left behind in Boston.
“He came in and said, ‘I’ll do whatever you ask me to do,’” Melvin said. “He couldn’t have been more all-in on whatever we need. I didn’t expect any different, I don’t know completely, nor do I care really [what happened with the Red Sox]. He’s here with us now, and he’s inspired to be here.
Devers’ arrival is expected to return immediate dividends, although Melvin envisions bigger and better production down the road as Devers settles in and other key players return from the IL.
“The offense has been better here recently, but this just makes us that much better,” Melvin said. “Having a guy in the middle of your order like that, it’s pretty extreme. Then when we get everybody back and healthy, it definitely lengthens the lineup for us.”
