One year after Rafael Devers trade, Red Sox and Giants are both losers

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One year after Rafael Devers trade, Red Sox and Giants are both losers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox made a stunning trade one year ago today, on June 15, 2025, when they traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.

Now that a year has passed, how have both sides of this trade managed to make out? Did the Red Sox get enough back, and did the Giants do well in adding a power bat in Devers to their lineup? And most importantly, what team won this trade?

Unfortunately, it appears that both teams are coming out of this trade as losers. Jen McCaffrey and Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic highlighted this, noting that both the Red Sox and the Giants emerged from this trade worse off than before.

Red Sox and Giants lost the Rafael Devers trade one year ago today​

Giants losers of Rafael Devers trade​

Both the Red Sox and Giants are losers of this trade, with the Giants not getting nearly as productive a hitter as they were expecting, with Devers posting a .706 OPS this season, and a .762 OPS with the Giants compared to his .859 OPS with Boston.

Baggarly highlighted two main reasons why this trade hasn't worked out, beyond simply the on-field production. "The Giants lost flexibility," Baggarly writes. "You need to give up something to get something ... but maybe not that much."

With Bryce Eldridge thriving this season for the Giants, the trade for Devers is looking even worse. Add in that the Giants aren't getting great production from Devers, and with how much it costs to add him, this trade is clearly a loss for the Giants.

How Red Sox lost Rafael Devers trade​

Speaking of trade cost, what the Red Sox got in return for this trade is the main reason why they're coming out of this trade as huge losers, arguably more so than the Giants.

As McCaffrey noted, "The four players added in the Devers trade - three of whom were then traded away - have added another layer of disgrace to the deal."

Craig Breslow got back four players in this Devers trade (along with shedding the huge Devers contract), as Boston added Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Thibbs III, and Jose Bello in exchange for Devers.

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A year later, only Bello remains in the Red Sox organization. Hicks was a disaster, posting an 8.20 ERA in 21 games for the Red Sox last season. Thibs III was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with another prospect for two months of Dustin May.

But the worst part of the return has been Harrison, as he was traded this offseason for Caleb Durbin, and that trade has backfired badly for the Red Sox.

Durbin is struggling and doesn't look like a starter at the MLB level right now. Harrison, meanwhile, is a Cy Young candidate and dominating in a breakout year.

Giants and Red Sox lost the Rafael Devers trade​

The Devers trade resulted in the Red Sox getting four players, one still in the organization, one released, and the other two traded in deals that are clear losses for the Red Sox.

Both the Red Sox and Giants lost in this blockbuster trade, but if there was one team to come out worse, it would be the Red Sox, as not only did they lose Devers, but they also have already squandered the return for the slugger in less than a year.

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