The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants shocked Major League Baseball on Sunday with a trade that sent Red Sox All-Star Rafael Devers to the Giants in exchange for a package that didn’t quite match the caliber of talent that Boston was giving up.
As is the case with every fan base, Minnesota Twins fans are likely wondering why their team was not involved in the Devers sweepstakes.
First and foremost, the trade details: The Red Sox sent Devers to the Giants in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, and Jose Bello.
With Hicks and Harrison already at the Major League leve, albeit an inconsistent production level, the star prospect in the deal was Tibbs.
The young outfielder slots in as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s system, but again, for the talent that the Red Sox were giving up in Devers, it’s a package that leaves much to be desired.
It’s a package that the Twins could have topped, except there is a key part of the deal that would have ruled out Minnesota immediately. As part of the trade, the Giants are absorbing the entirety of the money left on Devers’ contract. The math roughly comes out to over $250MM for the next 8 and a half seasons.
The Minnesota Twins were never making the Rafael Devers trade
For the Giants, taking on the remaining money of Devers’ contract was made possible by their consistent history of being left at the altar in past offseasons when it came to their top free agency pursuits. The team had the resources to absorb the contract, and in return, the package they gave up wasn’t nearly as prospect-heavy as one would have thought in a typical Devers trade.
The Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays were among the teams that checked in on Devers’ availability before he was dealt to the Giants. Given the money involved, the Twins were never going to be involved in such a deal.
The Twins remain on the edge of being buyers ahead of the Trade Deadline, but taking on the money left on Devers’ deal is not something that is aligned with their front office’s strategy.
