The San Francisco Giants went all in going after Rafael Devers yet it hasn’t quite yielded the returns they were expecting. The Giants were expecting to be at the top of the National League standings and giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a scare in the NL West division. Instead, they’re 2.5 games behind the San Diego Padres, six behind the Dodgers and in a situation where they might be thinking about selling instead of buying.
That wasn’t the point of getting Devers. He was supposed to give them another offensive weapon that would put them in a situation to go all in. ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes the Giants would still likely buy, but they have some interesting moves to make.
I don’t think Buster Posey went after Devers with the plan to get rid of key players. I think the Giants will still ride it out and do like Passan suggests and get some bullpen help. Their offense is either going to get on track or not. Making rash decisions at the deadline would be worse than anything.
The Rafael Devers trade isn’t a lost cause yet for struggling San Francisco Giants
If the Giants decide to sell, like Passan said, it should be trimming the fat, not getting rid of every heavy hitter. I think with it sending Justin Verlander and maybe someone like Wilmer Flores, who Passan suggested, that would probably be the extent of which I’d make some changes.
Posey has every right to believe in this current roster even if it’s not yielding the results he expected right away. Look at the Boston Red Sox, it took them over a month to start winning once they traded Devers. Things can still turn around for the Giants. They’re only six games back in the division race as well.
The top spot in the NL is probably out of reach with Milwaukee, Chicago, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies all within 2.5 games of each other. But it doesn’t mean it’s out of the question. The only thing that would significantly hurt their chances is selling more than maybe buying.
I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear, Giants fans, because things were so optimistic when you got the notification that Devers was headed west. But things aren’t completely lost yet. They’re still 2.5 games back of a wild card spot.
Posey was right to buy and should still have the mindset of keeping this roster in contention for a wild card spot at worst. Selling is an option, but it’s not a guarantee. Devers hasn’t had the impact they hoped, but he still has time to prove he was worth it. Not all is lost, even if it feels slightly less optimistic right now.