Padres' Xander Bogaerts Breaks Silence on Shocking Rafael Devers Trade

Aug 31, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (left) celebrates his grand slam home run against the Minnesota Twins with third baseman Rafael Devers (11) in the third inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers were once teammates helping the Boston Red Sox win the 2018 World Series.

The San Diego Padres ended up signing the star shortstop ahead of the 2023 season as the divisional rival San Francisco Giants recently shook the baseball world and traded for Devers on Sunday.

Bogaerts couldn't believe the news that the Red Sox dealt another core piece to the franchise and had to text Devers himself to ensure he wasn't being misled, per insider AJ Cassavell.

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When asked about the trade, Bogaerts spoke honestly about the new threat in his division.

"It made [the Giants] a lot better. We aren't going to deny it. He's a big time player," Bogaerts said.

Xander Bogaerts didn't believe the trade at first, so he went straight to the source for confirmation, texting Rafael Devers, his former teammate and new division rival.

"It made [the Giants] a lot better. We aren't going to deny it. He's a big time player," Bogaerts said.

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) June 16, 2025

Bogaerts and Devers were teammates for six seasons in Boston and won the aforementioned Fall Classic together in 2018. Another teammate that helped them win the '18 title was outfielder/shortstop Mookie Betts.

Believe it or not, he, too, is in the National League West as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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The increased competition in what was already an unbelievably top-heavy division is surely something to keep track of as the Padres are currently trailing both the Giants and Dodgers at this point of the season.

As the Giants get another power bat that has 15 home runs, the pressure on the Padres starts to build.

The month of June hasn't been too kind to San Diego as they are 7-9 so far. The Friars are also currently struggling to put up runs.

Seeing these changes in their own division only makes the stakes higher and will force the team's best players to kick it into a new gear as the home stretch of 2025 gets underway.

There is no telling if Devers' arrival to the division will dictate more or less moves ahead of the trade deadline, but perhaps the increased competition will prove valuable for the offense.

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.