Boston Red Sox Trade Rafael Devers To San Francisco Giants For Kyle Harrison And More

Boston parts ways with star slugger Rafael Devers in a blockbuster deal, acquiring lefty Kyle Harrison and setting the stage for a bold offseason reset.

Former Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) drives in two runs with a single against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Over the past nine seasons, Rafael Devers has delivered an exceptional run for Boston Red Sox fans. He takes his bat to San Francisco with a .279 career batting average with 663 runs, 215 home runs, 696 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases over 4,074 at-bats. Some of his best moments have come against the Evil Empire (.270/79/31/78/6 over 445 at-bats). Devers also had power success against Baltimore (.294/77/22/83/2 over 487 at-bats) and Toronto (.307/59/24/74/5 over 394 at-bats). Boston will dearly miss his bat in the biggest moments of games.

Full trade between the Giants and Red Sox that will send Rafael Devers to San Francisco, per @ByRobertMurray pic.twitter.com/krZt8JAkdQ

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 15, 2025

Boston Red Sox Outlook After Devers Trade

Devers leaves town with one World Series title and a pocket full of cash, and many more big paychecks on the way. He was meant to be a part of the Red Sox's next run at the postseason with a goal of winning multiple World Series. Boston has a rising crop of talented bats, and they address their lack of an ace in the offseason by acquiring and signing Garret Crochet, reminiscent of their days with Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. At the same time, the Red Sox knew they also needed to find another young front-line starter to make a deep playoff run and regain control of the top spot in the AL East. 

In the offseason, the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to improve their defense at third base while also gaining a player with playoff experience. His overlap in position with Devers ultimately became a significant problem, which reached a critical mass over recent weeks. Boston’s star left-handed power bat wanted to play “his position,” and his stance created a rift between him and the front office. How dare the Red Sox try to make their team better? They paid Devers $313.5 million for 10 seasons in 2024. 

The loss of Devers’ ball will be challenging to replace, at least over the short term. The Red Sox hoped he would be their David Ortiz over the backend of his career, and paid him to help them win another World Series. In the end, Boston gains a potential stud lefty pitcher (Kyle Harrison) while saving a ton of payroll.

Next offseason, they could target Pete Alonso to replace Devers in the middle of their lineup. The Mets and the free agent market disrespected him last winter, leading him to sign a one-year deal with the Mets that included player options for the next two seasons. Over the past seven seasons in New York, he has been a top RBI player (649 over 918 games) while pounding 243 balls over the fence in his 3,409 at-bats. 

Casual fans in Boston will see a 9-8 record with a 4.48 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, and 178 strikeouts over 182.2 innings in the majors for Kyle Harrison, leaving them with the feeling that the Red Sox were fleeced in their recent trade. His lefty arm flashed a much higher ceiling in his four seasons in the minors (3.33 ERA, 1.310 WHIP, and 490 strikeouts over 305.1 innings) while issuing too many walks (4.6 per nine innings). 

This season, Harrison has showcased more velocity on his fastball (94.5 mph) while working off a swing-and-miss curveball and below-par changeup. In 2024, his season ended with a left shoulder injury, which could be a red flag.

Rafael Devers Fantasy Baseball Outlook

In the fantasy market, Devers slides into a league-average offense that will get better with him batting in a premium part of the batting order. He hit .292 over his career in Fenway Park with 332 runs, 95 home runs, and 344 RBIs over 1,974 at-bats while offering more power on the road (.267/331/120/352 over 2,100 at-bats). His offensive play could drop slightly, but Devers will get his third base wish over the short term due to the injury to Matt Chapman.

Willy Adames is on the mic and is excited about the reported trade that will bring Rafael Devers to the Giants. pic.twitter.com/uenh4IzKlS

— MLB (@MLB) June 15, 2025

Kyle Harrison Fantasy Baseball Outlook

As for Harrison, Boston will slide him into their starting rotation. The AL East will be a downgrade in offensive ballparks, requiring him to show better command and creating more swings and misses to help fantasy teams. I was bullish on the ceiling of his arm for my fantasy teams over the past couple of months, but have yet to be rewarded with winning stats. 

In his second major league start, Harrison showcased his potential by tossing 6.1 shutout innings with three hits, two walks, and 11 strikeouts. Last season, he pitched well for the Giants over his first 18 starts (3.60 ERA, 1.280 WHIP, and 90 strikeouts over 97.2 innings). This year at AAA, Harrison showed better command (2.8 walks per nine innings) over short innings (26.0) while striking out 38 batters. I view him as a must-roster player in deep formats, while working a rotational arm in 12-team formats until he delivers winning success with more balls crossing home plate.

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I live in the Boston area and have been a Red Sox fan since 1975. I expect this trade to go down as a win for the home team, with the hidden piece to the deal being the free agent player Boston signed to replace the saved salary by moving Devers.