Why it was time for Posey, Giants to strike with Devers trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
LOS ANGELES — The line was a smart one, and it’s what everyone will always remember about Buster Posey’s introduction as president of baseball operations for the Giants.
“We’re in the memory making business,” Posey said last October, smiling as he looked out at cameras.
What has gotten forgotten is what led to those words. Posey spoke for nearly two minutes about what that actually means, and at the start of that answer, he provided some insight into how he would help Giants fans make memories. He talked about what he had learned during his own playing career, which included three championship runs.
“I gained a pretty good sense of what it means to fans to have great players and have great teams,” he said that day.
One comes with the other, which the Giants had at times forgotten in recent years. They were reminded of it Saturday, when Shohei Ohtani homered twice, Clayton Kershaw pitched a gem and the Giants got blown out. A day later, Posey added a superstar to his own lineup.
The trade for Rafael Devers shook the baseball world, and in the end it came together so quickly that Sean Hjelle got only about 30 minutes’ notice that he would start on Sunday Night Baseball. It took 10 minutes after that for him to realize why it was happening.
Kyle Harrison, the scheduled starter, is headed to Boston, along with Jordan Hicks and two prospects. Devers will be a Giant on Tuesday at Oracle Park, adding a star to a needy lineup after weeks of quiet negotiations.
Posey said on Sunday that he first called Red Sox exec Craig Breslow a few weeks ago to discuss Devers, who had fallen out of favor in Boston and had grown equally frustrated with management. General manager Zack Minasian kept talks going with his counterparts in Boston, and ownership got involved in recent days, a requirement when swallowing nearly $260 million in future salary commitments.
Posey at times felt trepidation. That’s a massive contract for a DH, and he had to part with Harrison, who is about 15 months removed from being the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball. But this opportunity was too good to pass up.
“The bat is so special,” he said of the 28-year-old Devers. “It’s just really hard to acquire this type of talent at this point of his career. We’re obviously taking on a lot of money. We’re giving up some pitching, we’re giving up our first-round pick last year, so it didn’t come without a cost. It felt like this was a chance to take a shot.”
Posey spent most of his career lining singles softly into the outfield, but his most memorable moment as a hitter was a grand slam in the postseason. This is not an attempt at a single, but rather a swing for a slam. On their last day in Los Angeles, the Giants saw their expectations completely change.
They’ve been a nice story thus far, and a surprise. But now it would be a massive disappointment if they miss the postseason, and you can bet Posey hasn’t given up on a division crown.
The Dodgers countered on Sunday by announcing that Ohtani is ready to return to their rotation. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are on the way back, too, and they did take two of three this weekend, leaving with a two-game lead in the division. They’re still the heavy favorites to win the NL West, but on Friday night, Logan Webb showed how dangerous the Giants can be if they just get into October.
Posey knows pitching wins championships, and he admitted Sunday that it was hard to part with Harrison given how committed the front office is to building around pitching. But the Giants needed someone like Devers to more easily reach October, and he has a history of performing on the biggest stages. In 26 postseason games, Devers — a champion in 2018 — has a .955 OPS.
“It sends a message — we want to win,” said Willy Adames, who had the previous largest contract in franchise history. “(Posey) is going to do whatever it takes to put the best team out there for us to go out there and compete.”
That was the theme in the clubhouse late Sunday. The players have all the trust in the world in Posey, but just as importantly, ownership does, too. Posey is part of that group, of course, and that made it easier to push things along on the heels of committing nine-figure deals to Matt Chapman and Adames. The Giants are on the hook for a massive sum through 2033 with Devers, but it’ll be worth it if he lives up to expectations.
Posey credited Greg Johnson and the rest of the ownership group for approving the deal. What started as a long-shot idea gained momentum in recent weeks, and on Sunday, as he returned to the Bay Area to see his four kids, Posey crossed the finish line with Minasian, who became a father last year.
It was a Father’s Day neither will forget. They’re hopeful their players feel the same way, that this unexpected jolt will lead to plenty of memories in October and for years to come. Ten weeks into the first season of the second Posey Era, everything seems to have changed.
“People that don’t know Buster, you should realize that the only thing he wants to do is win, plain and simple,” team ace Logan Webb said. “I think a guy like (Devers) is a win-now move. You guys saw (Posey’s) comments when we were losing a little bit and he said it’s time to go, it’s go time. He means it. This goes to show that he means it.”
