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Where will Rafael Devers play for the SF Giants? The trade has impacts across their infield
The Red Sox asked Devers to play first base after telling him he’d only be a designated hitter this season. He declined, but first base may be the Giants’ biggest need. Would he have a …
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LOS ANGELES — The Giants have already done the hard part, acquiring three-time All-Star Rafael Devers in a shocking, blockbuster trade. They are unquestionably a better team now than they were Sunday morning. Now, they’ve got some specifics to work out. Chief among them:
Where will Devers play?
President of baseball operations Buster Posey didn’t have an immediate answer to that question on Sunday following the Giants’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before making a decision, the Giants’ brass will meet with Devers in person to discuss his best fit.
“I think that’s a conversation that we’re going to have to have with him,” Posey told beat writers Sunday night. “I want to do my best to be upfront and transparent with these guys and make sure we’re on the same page. That’s a conversation for myself, Zack (Minasian), and Bob to have with him.”
Devers, who has a career .859 OPS, arrives in San Francisco following something of a falling out with the Red Sox.
When Boston signed Alex Bregman — another third baseman — to a three-year, $120 million contract in February, Devers said he wouldn’t move off third base. Devers later relented and transitioned to the designated hitter role.
Three months later, Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury. Despite the opening, Devers declined the team’s request for him to play first base — a position he has never played in the majors or minors.
On Sunday, Posey shared that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told him “some of the stuff that was in the media was a bit unfortunate.” Posey added he had heard from others that Devers is a “great teammate” who “loves to play the game.” Willy Adames and Dominic Smith praised Devers’ character as well.
“He’s a great guy,” Adames said. “Obviously, there has been some miscommunication there. From what I know about him … he wants people to communicate with him and be honest. I feel like here with Buster, that’s all we’ve got. Buster is a super honest guy. He’s going to be straight up and (Devers) is going to love that. He’s going to feel comfortable here.”
For the time being, the Giants may not have to worry about finding Devers a position.
Matt Chapman, a five-time Gold Glover, is currently on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right hand and won’t begin rehab until later this week. Casey Schmitt has done well as Chapman’s replacement, but he fouled a ball off his left ankle on Sunday and was diagnosed with a contusion. If Chapman and Schmitt are both out, Devers stands to slide right in.
Devers was exclusively used as a designated hitter this season in Boston but has played 951 games at third in the majors. He rates out as a below-average defender, worth -62 defensive runs saved and -28 outs above average in his career, but he knows the position.
Alternatively, the Giants could be proactive about Devers’ future before Chapman returns. If Schmitt doesn’t need to go to the injured list, the Giants could keep Schmitt — the better defender — at third, put Devers in the DH role, and have Wilmer Flores split time with Dominic Smith at first base.
The Giants have kept Flores, who leads the team with 51 RBIs, mostly at DH to keep him healthy after he underwent a season-ending Tenex procedure last year on his right knee. After signing Smith earlier this month, San Francisco could ensure Flores’ workload doesn’t get too high. But given Flores’ importance to this offense — Flores’ 1.012 OPS with runners in scoring position leads the team — would the Giants want to limit his opportunities?
There’s also the option that Devers refused in Boston: play first base. Perhaps Devers, playing on a new team where he no longer has seniority, would be more willing to transition to a new position. His stance could very well remain the same. Once Chapman returns, the Giants will have no choice but to make a choice.
Designated hitter? Or first base?
There’s another wrinkle to figure out when Chapman comes back: second base. Schmitt has run with the starting opportunity since Chapman landed on the injured list, going 7-for-20 (.350) with three homers and 11 RBIs. This past weekend, Schmitt became the first Giant in franchise history to hit grand slams in back-to-back games, though one of those was hit against Dodgers position player Enrique Hernández.
The sample size is small, but if Schmitt continues playing well in Chapman’s absence, he could take over second base in place of Tyler Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald has struggled at the plate since returning from the injured list in mid-May. Over 26 games, Fitzgerald has an abysmal slash line of .198/.263/.244 with no home runs. The Giants’ second base situation is not front of mind, but it is an undeniable subplot as a result of the Devers trade.
There’s another question that will have to be answered in due time: How does the acquisition of Devers affect the trajectory of top prospect Bryce Eldridge?
The Giants promoted Eldridge from Double-A Richmond to Triple-A Sacramento earlier this month, and Posey seemed open to the idea of Eldridge making his debut this season. It was a change of tone compared to MLB’s Winter Meetings in December when Posey downplayed the possibility.
In acquiring Devers, San Francisco added an impact bat without calling up its top prospect. Eldridge has struggled out of the gate with Sacramento, posting a .498 OPS over 11 games. Devers’ presence allows the Giants to be more patient with Eldridge.
Come next season, though, the Giants will have to figure out that part of this arrangement. Devers is signed through the end of the 2033 season.
As of now, the Giants do not have a clear starting first baseman for next year, and Flores’ contract expires this offseason. Will it be Eldridge, who is still learning the position and has had his struggles defensively? Will it be Devers, who has never played the position? Perhaps a combination of both?
There aren’t easy answers to this laundry list of questions. But the questions that the Giants have to answer now are far different than those they pondered before they arrived in Los Angeles last week. And there’s no question that with Devers in tow, San Francisco has finally acquired an elite bat that it has long lacked.
“This fits us perfectly,” said manager Bob Melvin on Sunday. “It’s a power left-handed bat, a guy that can go the other way and hit for power in our ballpark. It’s just tailor-made for us. Kudos to the front office to swing this.”
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