Giants' Matt Chapman Sends Clear Rafael Devers Message After Position Questions
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The San Francisco Giants answered any remaining questions about their hopes of contending this season with an emphatic move to bring in slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox.
That trade should clear up all doubts about whether the front office believes the team can reach the World Series and if it is willing to increase payroll to do so. But bringing in Devers raised some other questions.
Primarily, it is unclear where exactly he will play. The Red Sox were only willing to trade him after he initially refused to vacate third base for a new teammate and then adamantly refused to give first base a try. For his part, Devers partially answered the question of his role with the Giants by declaring that he'd be willing to play wherever the team wants him during an introductory press conference.
Like the Red Sox, the Giants are in clear need of some more offensive production from first base. Shortly after arriving in San Francisco, Devers worked out at the position and five-time Gold Glove Award winner Matt Chapman offered a clear evaluation of his ability to handle the position.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 08: Matt Chapman #26 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout prior to the start of the game agains the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on June...
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 08: Matt Chapman #26 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout prior to the start of the game agains the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on June 08, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) More
Henderson/Getty
"He's going to be just fine over there," Chapman told president of baseball operations Buster Posey, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
Though he's never been considered a stellar defender, Devers was able to man third base for years with the Red Sox. That suggested he would be able to handle first base with a bit of preparation, even though he refused to try it out for his former team.
Still, praise from Chapman, who is expected to return to third base for the Giants when he recovers from a hand injury, should mean a lot. He won his latest Gold Glove after joining San Francisco as a free agent last year.
But even after Devers' positive workout at first, he's unlikely to take over the position in the near future.
"The expectation is that it will take Devers a while to get comfortable at the position and that he'll serve as the Giants' designated hitter, like he did in three games against Cleveland, from Friday to Sunday," Cotillo added.
So far, everything about Devers' arrival in San Francisco has been positive. If he can continue his offensive production while effectively taking over first base for the Giants, it will be even more so.
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San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rafael Devers explains why he is willing to play first base for the Giants but not the Red Sox
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rafael Devers had a consistent mantra when he addressed the Boston media for the first time since his surprising trade from the Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants five days ago. 'The past is in the past,' Devers said repeatedly Friday when asked about his time with the Red Sox and why the relationship deteriorated so much this season that the team traded him less than two years into a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed in 2023. Devers did give one piece of insight when asked what he would tell Red Sox fans about why he is willing to play first base in San Francisco if he is asked after refusing to do so with the Red Sox when asked last month. 'I would say that I have put some good numbers up over in Boston,' he said through an interpreter. 'I think that I do feel that I have earned some respect. If they would have asked me at the beginning of spring training, yes, I would have played (first).' Devers' relationship with the Red Sox began to deteriorate when the team signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to DH; he balked before agreeing to the switch. When first baseman Triston Casas sustained a season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the field and he declined, saying the front office 'should do their jobs' and look for another player. A day after Devers' comments to the media about playing first, Red Sox owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers and manager Alex Cora. Devers' stance didn't change and he was eventually traded to San Francisco. He said he wouldn't have done anything differently in his time in Boston. 'I put up good numbers over there,' he said. 'I always gave my 100 percent.' The Giants were happy to acquire Devers after striking out in their bid to sign a big bat for the middle of the lineup in free agency. Devers went 3 for 11 with two walks and an RBI in his first three games with San Francisco as a designated hitter. He has started working out at first base and said he would be happy to play there as soon as he feels comfortable. 'Like I said in the past, that is not a position that you're going to learn how to play overnight,' he said. 'I just have to continue that practice there.' Devers said he is as happy as he has been in years in his first few days with the Giants and enjoyed the opportunity to see some of his friends on the Red Sox on Thursday night when the team arrived in town. 'It's been a few hectic days,' he said. 'A long week it feels like. But I saw my friends yesterday, so, I was happy to be able to see them. I'm very happy.' Devers said he didn't have 'anything good or bad to say" about Cora but said he would talk to him on the field this weekend when he had the chance. Devers was 20 when he made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2017. He helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series and led the team in RBIs for five consecutive seasons from 2020-24. He has finished in the top 20 in voting for AL MVP five times. The Giants have lacked slugging since Barry Bonds hit 45 homers in 2004; they are the only team in the majors who have not had a batter hit 30 homers since then. Devers has hit at least 30 homers three times. Devers is not the first Red Sox All-Star to be traded away: The team sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2020 season in a salary dump -- just a year after he won the AL MVP award and led Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and its fourth World Series title since 2004. ___
Fox Sports
25 minutes ago
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Rafael Devers Explains Why He's Willing to Play 1B With the Giants
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New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
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