The star-studded NL West got a bit more crowded Sunday when the San Francisco Giants pulled off the most stunning trade of the 2025 campaign, landing All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for four players.
Clayton Kershaw, who is attempting to stave off the rival Giants in the NL West, reacted to the blockbuster move during ESPN's broadcast of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-4 victory over San Francisco on Sunday Night Baseball.
"How about that trade? That's wild. [Giants president of baseball operations] Buster [Posey] is really doing it over there," Kershaw said on the broadcast. "Good for Buster, man, he's going for it. I'd consider [Devers] probably one of top 10 hitters in the game, at worst. He's definitely a game changer."
The fit for Devers in San Francisco is interesting. The three-time All-Star does indeed one of the best bats in baseball, hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 homers in 73 games this season. But he became disgruntled with Boston when it signed Alex Bregman in February, taking his starting spot at third base. Devers publicly rejected the team's request to shift to first base and appeared in 73 games at designated hitter this year.
The Giants already have one of the best third basemen in all of baseball in Matt Chapman, who has won five Gold Glove awards in the hot corner in eight seasons. San Francisco's top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who could debut at some point this year, plays first. It appears Devers might be back in the designated hitter role in the Bay Area.
"It'll be interesting to see what position he plays over there. I know they have a big prospect at first base coming," Kershaw said. "It'll be interesting to see if he plays first. Obviously they have Matt Chapman, he's one of the best in the game at third. Even if he's just DH for however long that contract is ... it makes them better right now, for sure."
The Giants lost two of three games at Dodger Stadium over the weekend to slip two games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. But San Francisco clearly is going for it—and now it has another big name to take up the middle of manager Bob Melvin's lineup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Clayton Kershaw Reacts to Rival Giants' Blockbuster Trade for Rafael Devers.
