By now, we've had time to diagnose the unexpected – Rafael Devers is a San Francisco Giant. FanSided's Robert Murray broke the news – arguably his most important news break to date – on a Sunday evening when no one expected such a trade to go down. We are over a month from the MLB trade deadline, after all, and Devers wasn't on anyone's radar. This week on The Moonshot, we reveal how the Devers news break came to be, what comes next for the Giants, and dish on other topics around baseball like MLB All-Star voting and the College World Series.
Welcome to The Moonshot, a weekly newsletter where we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too. This week's panel includesAdam Weinrib, Eric Cole, Zach Rotman and Robert Murray.
Rafael Devers trade break details and initial reactions
Robert Murray: When I got the initial phone call, I thought it was a joke. Then I checked with a second source and he confirmed it. At that point, I thought: “No way.” Then a third person confirmed it. Then, to make 100 percent sure, I called a fourth person and asked if it was real. There was silence on the other end of the phone and he said “...yeah.” I asked five separate times if the details I had were correct and then I tweeted “BREAKING: Rafael Devers to Giants.”
Once I tweeted that Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were part of the trade, my phone was so overwhelmed with notifications that it stopped working for a bit.
Eric Cole: We had just finalized plans to do Father’s Day dinner over at my in-laws the next day and I was sitting down to watch some TV before crashing early as I am old and that seemed like an ideal Father’s Day plan to me. Then my phone buzzed and the complexion of my evening changed radically. Hopped on my computer and got to work with the rest of the best group of MLB staff writers out there.
Zach Rotman: I was trying on a suit for a wedding I’m attending, and my immediate reaction was that FanSided’s Robert Murray was hacked. I put my phone down after seeing the notification that said Devers was traded to the Giants. Once I realized it was real, I couldn’t stop refreshing Twitter to find more details and eventually, like Eric, hopped on my computer to write.
Adam Weinrib: I was in Robert Murray’s phone!
In actuality, I was somehow last to the news, mired in a Father’s Day dinner with limited service (at a baseball-themed bar). As a Red Sox hater, I can’t believe there was a 20-minute chunk of time when I was blissfully unaware, thinking Devers homering off Max Fried would be the most important moment of my day. I was roused by a text from our podcast producer asking me to scrap the next day’s outline, which was weird because it meant we never got to break down Aaron Civale to the White Sox.
Are the Giants done dealing, and can they compete with the Dodgers?
Robert Murray: This will certainly be the biggest move! The Giants prioritized upgrading the offense, and Devers will do that in a massive way. But I can see Buster Posey continuing to scour the markets for another bat over the next six weeks. Perhaps with Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks in Boston the organization looks for another arm. After all, you can never have too much pitching.
Eric Cole: I think they will wait and see how acquiring Devers impacts things for a couple of weeks. If San Francisco goes wild, the argument for a strong push at the trade deadline makes a lot more sense. If not, they can always say that trading for Devers was for the long haul and that they like the prospects they have. Not the sexiest answer, but they also just swung a crazy trade in June for one of the better hitters in baseball, so their fans probably aren’t complaining at the moment.
Zach Rotman: I sure hope the Giants aren’t done dealing. Rafael Devers plugs the biggest hole on their roster by far, but I don’t think anyone would pick them over at least a couple of National League teams. By making an additional move or two, I think this Giants team can seriously compete with the Dodgers for the NL Pennant. As Eric pointed out, though, they have the luxury of waiting to see how things go, since they swung this deal in mid-June. If they rack up wins, Buster Posey should have another blockbuster ready for Giants fans. If they don’t, it’s not the worst plan to just sit on what they got and go all-in next year with Devers fully acclimated by then.
Adam Weinrib: Jordan Hicks, listed as a bullpen ace by Craig Breslow, was a hole on the Giants’ roster while he was still there. They could use a reliable setup man or the No. 4 starter Hicks was signed to be. Or both. They should do both. Why not go for it?! And don’t say ‘The Dodgers’.
Which MLB star is destined to be an All-Star snub?
Robert Murray: James Wood. He is absolutely awesome and looks every bit the player the Nationals envisioned when acquiring him for Juan Soto. He’s 22 years old and is hitting .284 with a .944 OPS, 20 home runs and 56 RBI. Ridiculous.
Eric Cole: Jeremy Peña deserves to be the AL starting shortstop over Wilson or Witt Jr., but he isn’t really a big name and no one will lose sleep if he is snubbed. It doesn’t look like Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t getting in nor is James Wood which is unfortunate. That said, it looks like the voters are getting most of the names right this time.
Zach Rotman: James Wood, man. I thought fans would end up voting for him in droves because of just how electric of a player he is, but I guess I overestimated how watchable the Nationals are right now. He’s having a ridiculous first full season, and absolutely deserves to start for the NL. The fact that he’s on the outside looking in when it comes to Phase 2 is insane to me.
Adam Weinrib: The James Wood vote makes me think people aren’t watching him (and I understand why, but come on now). If Paul Goldschmidt wins the AL vote, he’ll be stealing a spot from a deserving Jonathan Aranda/Spencer Torkelson (sorry, love ya Goldy).
College World Series prospect who has made the biggest impression
Eric Cole: I mean, not sure how the answer isn’t Arkansas’ Gage Wood who was already creeping up draft boards before he threw a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts. He has some medical concerns that will keep him from going really high, but you can bet that half the teams in the first round are looking hard at him right now.
Zach Rotman: It’s hard not to agree with Eric, here, but just to be different, I’ll go with OSU’s Aiva Arquette. In the Beavers’ game against Louisville, I saw Arquette make a play I’m not sure many MLB shortstops would make in the field, and later in the game, he drilled a clutch home run. They lost, but Arquette showed why he’s going to be a top five pick.
Robert Murray: I agree with Eric and unlike Zach, I will not be different. The pick here is Arkansas’ Gage Wood. 19 strikeouts with a no-hitter in that environment? Awesome.
Adam Weinrib: Non-Gage Wood-division, I saw Aiva Arquette make a truly special play up the middle that set my hair on fire. How about next year’s draft, though? Roch Cholowsky of UCLA. No. 1 in your program. No. 1 in our hearts, No. 1 in pre-draft rankings for 2026. Kid is smooth and a special leader.
Around the horn: Tell us about something you wrote this week!
Robert Murray: The Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. I wrote about why that move was strong for the Giants and a head-scratcher for the Red Sox.
Eric Cole: As per usual, I will shamelessly plug this week’s prospect column over on the Baseball Insiders feed where I broke down the prospects the Red Sox got in the Devers trade. Still don’t like the trade for Boston, but they did get real talent back in return.
Zach Rotman: I’m fully on the Giants’ bandwagon after they acquired Rafael Devers, and I explained why they should be seen as serious contenders in the NL.
Adam Weinrib: Craig Breslow will have one syrup-free waffle, please. Also, please read Katrina Stebbins trying to determine how many of this year’s Celebrity Softballers are actually dad-tier celebrities.
Inside Robert Murray's notebook
The Miami Marlins will be a popular franchise for contending teams at the trade deadline, but two players that I feel very confident will stay put: Agustin Ramirez and Eury Perez.
The Giants made a huge splash in acquiring Rafael Devers, and three people I've talked to since then posed the same question: "How do the Dodgers respond?" They have a tremendously talented roster, but have been battered and bruised. Does Andrew Friedman have another big move in him?