The baseball world was caught completely off-guard on Sunday evening when the news broke from our own Robert Murray that the Boston Red Sox were trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Most of the discussion has centered around how Devers' relationship with the Red Sox deteriorated so quickly, and most observers have been taking sides as to who is at fault. However, there is an entire return package sent to Boston that needs more discussion.
For Boston, the most appealing part of the deal San Francisco offered was that they were willing to take on the entirety of Devers' salary. However, the Giants also sent some really interesting players to the Red Sox to sweeten the deal, including some young prospects that have tantalizingly high ceilings.
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It wasn't enough for Rafael Devers, but the Red Sox still did add real talent to their organization
The only big leaguer involved in the deal was Jordan Hicks, and he may be the least interesting piece in the trade. Hicks was formerly a flame-throwing reliever with the St. Louis Cardinals before San Franscisco signed him and converted him into a starting pitcher. The results of that last year were okay, but Hicks has regressed badly in 2025 with a 6.47 ERA and it seems plausible he was included to offset the money in the deal a bit. In short, Hicks still throws hard and gets a ton of ground balls, but the rest of his skill set is lacking in the rotation.
The prospects in the deal are where things get more interesting. Kyle Harrison was considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball until very recently. The 6-foot-2 lefty features a riding fastball from a lower arm slot that is generally in the low to mid 90s but plays up because of his release point and better-than-average extension.
Harrison's slider and changeup have both performed well in the Minors, but have been teed off on in the Majors this season. Harrison will either have to make adjustments to his secondaries or figure out how to command the corners better with them, but he has loads of arm talent for Boston to work with.
The Red Sox also reloaded a bit on position-player talent with the inclusion of James Tibbs III in the deal. A 2024 first-round pick out of Florida State, Tibbs just hits the crap out of the ball consistently and has the upside of an All-Star everyday left fielder. The hit tool has been a bit slow to start as a professional, but Tibbs is already showing real power and his approach at the plate remains very good, buoying his on-base percentage while he figures things out. Tibbs is defensively limited, which is why he dropped to 13th overall in his draft class, but this dude can hit.
The last name sent to Boston in the deal was rookie-ball pitcher Jose Bello. Bello has a four-pitch mix that includes a 93-95 mph fastball, cutter, slider and changeup. At present, only the fastball and slider are particularly exciting as he at least knows how to command those two pitches, but the raw ingredients are there for an intriguing starting pitching prospect if Bello can overcome a funky delivery that points to a career in the bullpen.