Red Sox Declared Early Winners Of Rafael Devers Trade With Giants
It’s the All-Star Break, which means it’s a good time to reflect on the first half of the season and take stock of where things stand.
One of the biggest storylines of the first half was the Boston Red Sox’s shocking trade of Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on June 15. It was a bold, franchise-altering decision for the Red Sox, who faced considerable criticism over trading their best hitter in his prime during the middle of a playoff race.
A month later, the dust has settled a bit, and it looks like Boston may have won the trade after all.
In recent days, DraftKings Sportsbook, WEEI’s Adam Jones and MassLive’s Christopher Smith have all posted on X about how the Red Sox have outperformed the Giants since the trade.
The numbers speak for themselves. Since June 15, Boston is 16-9 with a plus-39 run differential, posting the third-best record in baseball during that span behind the Milwaukee Brewers (17-6) and Toronto Blue Jays (17-8). Its lineup has flourished without Devers, tying for the third-most runs in the Major Leagues since his departure.
Out west, San Francisco has gone 11-14 with a negative-28 run differential, losing four games in the National League West standings. Its offense has struggled since adding Devers, scoring the fourth-fewest runs in baseball (90) during that stretch.
Devers has struggled with his new team, batting .202/.330/.326 with two home runs, 10 RBI and nearly twice as many strikeouts (34) as hits (18). He’s been worth -0.1 WAR for them (per Baseball-Reference) and entered the All-Star Break in a 1-for-18 funk, although a lower back injury may be to blame.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have hit their stride, winning 10 straight games to close out the first half. Even more impressively, they’ve managed to do so despite getting minimal contributions from the Devers return, as Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison have combined for just 3 2/3 innings and -0.2 WAR with Boston.
There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played, and it will take years to fully know which side won the trade. However, there’s no question that it’s worked out better for the Red Sox so far.