Red Sox Blockbuster: Who Did Boston Get for Rafael Devers?

The fact that the Red Sox‘s trade of Rafael Devers on Sunday, just as the team is heading out on a lengthy jaunt to the West Coast, is understandable. The relationship between the team and player deteriorated over the course of this season because of his position–he is not a very good third baseman, and resisted the move to designated hitter. Then, when the Red Sox needed a first baseman following the injury to Triston Casas, Devers flatly said he would not make that move.

For a player who is being paid to be a leader–$313 million is a hefty investment–the Red Sox apparently felt that Devers just wasn’t the right fit, even though he has been the lynchpin holding the team’s wobbly offense together in the absence of Alex Bregman.

Trading away Devers, a homegrown star who was batting .272 and whose .905 OPS ranks 12th in all of baseball, is gonna sting for Red Sox fans. But it might sting more when they get a look at who came back in the trade: A pair of so-so pitchers, a bright slugging prospect who needs more time and a 20-year-old pitcher who’s still four or five years away.

Red Sox Get 2 MLB Pitchers

If you’re looking for some star power or some eye-popping prospects in return for Devers, forget it. This was a move about clearing his salary and reshaping the team’s future chemistry. The Red Sox will get two major-league pitchers, though neither are slated to help out now.

RHP Jordan Hicks. Hicks is an experienced swing man who has had seven years in the big leagues and his numbers are … well, they’re numbers. A one-time highly regarded prospect, Hicks has never impressed in the bigs. He’s 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA this season, in 13 appearances, nine of which were starts. He last started on May 9 and has been demoted to the bullpen since, making five appearances in that time. He’s been on the injured list with inflammation in his arm but should be back soon.

LHP Kyle Harrison. Harrison is only 23 and was a third-round pick of the Giants in 2020. He has some upside given his age, but he dealt with shoulder and ankle injuries that slowed him in 2024. This year, he started the year with Triple-A Sacramento before being called up to San Francisco, where he made four relief appearances and four starts, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.56 ERA. He will not start with the Red Sox, instead beginning his tenure in Worcester.

Trade Nets a Pair of Prospects

IF/OF James Tibbs. Tibbs is the highest ceiling prospect of the players the Red Sox are bringing in, a slugger who knocked 55 home runs in three seasons at Florida State before the Giants made him their 2024 first-round pick. He’s rated the Giants’ No. 4 overall prospect by MLB.com. Here’s a piece of Baseball America’s rather unenthusiastic scouting report on him: “Tibbs has solid but unspectacular raw power. … . He’s a corner profile through and through, whether that’s in an outfield corner or at first base, and is expected to be a below-average defender in either spot. Despite a bat-only profile, Tibbs has hit enough to warrant first-round selection.”

RHP Jose Bello. There likely is upside with Bello, but he has not had much of a chance to show it. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic two years ago by the Giants as a free agent. In the time since, he has only played rookie ball, going 2-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 25 appearances, 15 starts. He has an impressive 105 strikeouts in 78.2 innings pitched. But the key number on him is 20–his age. He’s a long, long way from sniffing Fenway.