Question of the week: Was trading Devers the right call?

[Bellhorn04]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

It's hard to know. He's the kind of hitter that can bring his numbers up to career norms in a week or two.

I agree that the word "genius" would fit, but when you see so much hindsight judging going on, why not with this move, too?

Fans are a funny bunch.

I still see a few people here criticizing the Sox for trading Nomar.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

2 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Fans are a funny bunch.

I still see a few people here criticizing the Sox for trading Nomar.

Nomar was traded? You've got to be kidding me.

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Fans are a funny bunch.

I still see a few people here criticizing the Sox for trading Nomar.

When's the last time we heard about the botched Bogey extension?

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Nomar was traded? You've got to be kidding me.

I remember us trading Nomah, but who was Nomar?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I remember us trading Nomah, but who was Nomar?

Good question. Maybe Nomar Pyle.

[oldtimer]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I remember us trading Nomah, but who was Nomar?

Please, no more!

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

11 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

Please, no more!

You got it. Nomar of these Nomah posts.

[moonslav59]

59 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Good question. Maybe Nomar Pyle.

I remember, now. It was a pile of Nomar.

[moonslav59]

53 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

Please, no more!

I was thrilled the day of that trade.

[Kimmi]

On 7/20/2025 at 8:46 AM, Bellhorn04 said:

Last 18 games - .554 OPS and 0 HR.  Looks a lot like last August.  

 

 

The Giants are 11-17 since the trade.  Devers certainly hasn't provided the spark that the Giants were hoping for.  I think you are right that this will end up being a very good thing for the Red Sox.  There's a long way to go, though, before that assessment can be made.

As an aside, I had another internal battle over the weekend - do I pull for the Giants or the Blue Jays?  Is it wrong that I pulled for the Blue Jays?  It's sad that I can't pull for any of the top 3 teams in the NL West. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

3 hours ago, Kimmi said:

The Giants are 11-17 since the trade.  Devers certainly hasn't provided the spark that the Giants were hoping for.  I think you are right that this will end up being a very good thing for the Red Sox.  There's a long way to go, though, before that assessment can be made.

As an aside, I had another internal battle over the weekend - do I pull for the Giants or the Blue Jays?  Is it wrong that I pulled for the Blue Jays?  It's sad that I can't pull for any of the top 3 teams in the NL West. 

Yes, you were wrong. Loyal Red Sox fans always root for anyone playing an AL East club ahead of us in the standings... unless said opponent is also our rival for a wild card slot.

(the preceding, of course, excludes Evil Empires that encourage rabid misanthropes to wear pinstripes and foam at the mouth, while hanging and banging over the wall down the rightfield foul line in the Bronx -- we must never root for them, even vs. a team we're tied with on the last day of the regular season, lest we risk upending the space time continuum).

[Kimmi]

18 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Yes, you were wrong. Loyal Red Sox fans always root for anyone playing an AL East club ahead of us in the standings... unless said opponent is also our rival for a wild card slot.

(the preceding, of course, excludes Evil Empires that encourage rabid misanthropes to wear pinstripes and foam at the mouth, while hanging and banging over the wall down the rightfield foul line in the Bronx -- we must never root for them, even vs. a team we're tied with on the last day of the regular season, lest we risk upending the space time continuum).

I know, it's sad.  I just can't pull for the Giants right now.  The Red Sox will just have to take care of their own business.  And not that I like the Blue Jays, but I dislike them a lot less than I dislike the other 3 AL East rivals. 

As far as the Yankees go, you don't have to worry about me ever rooting for them. 

[notin]

On 7/20/2025 at 2:03 PM, moonslav59 said:

I remember us trading Nomah, but who was Nomar?

Nomar Mazara.  Mediocre outfielder with the Rangers and (I think) White Sox.  Never played for Boston, so we didn’t trade him.

Maybe the complaint was not trading FOR Nomar…

[notin]

22 hours ago, Kimmi said:

The Giants are 11-17 since the trade.  Devers certainly hasn't provided the spark that the Giants were hoping for.  I think you are right that this will end up being a very good thing for the Red Sox.  There's a long way to go, though, before that assessment can be made.

As an aside, I had another internal battle over the weekend - do I pull for the Giants or the Blue Jays?  Is it wrong that I pulled for the Blue Jays?  It's sad that I can't pull for any of the top 3 teams in the NL West. 

Early returns aside, I think the Giants will not regret that trade…

[Kimmi]

6 minutes ago, notin said:

Early returns aside, I think the Giants will not regret that trade…

I expect Devers to return to form, and to be a very good hitter for a few more years.  In the long run, however, I think the Giants will regret that contract.  More to Bell's point than whether the Giants will regret the move, I don't think the Sox will have any regrets about trading Devers.  

[moonslav59]

I agree. Devers is not toast.

[Jean-Sébastien Blouin]

The Devers trade is always interesting because of his character who was poison for the team he only thought for himself and not for the team and Nomar who was traded a long time ago is Nomar Garciaparra shortstop player

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Jean-Sébastien Blouin said:

The Devers trade is always interesting because of his character who was poison for the team he only thought for himself and not for the team and Nomar who was traded a long time ago is Nomar Garciaparra shortstop player

There were rumors Nomar was pouting. He was no longer a decent defensive SS.

He may have injured himself in a non baseball incident, and the Sox went along with it. He refused to sign the offered extension and was rightfully traded.

As it looks, Devers was rightfully traded, too, but the other side has some legit points.

[Bellhorn04]

3 hours ago, notin said:

Early returns aside, I think the Giants will not regret that trade…

In his first 29 games with them he has a .333 SLG.  He may not be 100%, again...

[oldtimer]

3 hours ago, Kimmi said:

I expect Devers to return to form, and to be a very good hitter for a few more years.  In the long run, however, I think the Giants will regret that contract.  More to Bell's point than whether the Giants will regret the move, I don't think the Sox will have any regrets about trading Devers.  

Devers has proven he is a substandard defensive player who is a streaky hitter with real power. I don't foresee him ever being a defensive asset and it is also highly likely that his hitting will erode with time. He is a very highly compensated player.

I don't think you are anymore of a fan of long term contracts than I am. I realize teams sometimes have to get into those long term arrangements to keep special players. The trick is to know when a players will maintain production as they age. Personally, I would stay away from more than 5 year contracts for players approaching  30 unless a special assessment of their abilities identifies them as likely to produce over the long term.  I never felt Devers fit in that category so in my view the Sox made a mistake granting his contract and have rectified that mistake by trading him

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I agree. Devers is not toast.

Good to know because I like toast.

[mvp 78]

[Hitch]

“It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said. “…I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.”

 

Devers comments after the game. He'd rather be on the field, except when The Sox really needed him to be. Good riddance. 

[Kimmi]

20 hours ago, oldtimer said:

Devers has proven he is a substandard defensive player who is a streaky hitter with real power. I don't foresee him ever being a defensive asset and it is also highly likely that his hitting will erode with time. He is a very highly compensated player.

I don't think you are anymore of a fan of long term contracts than I am. I realize teams sometimes have to get into those long term arrangements to keep special players. The trick is to know when a players will maintain production as they age. Personally, I would stay away from more than 5 year contracts for players approaching  30 unless a special assessment of their abilities identifies them as likely to produce over the long term.  I never felt Devers fit in that category so in my view the Sox made a mistake granting his contract and have rectified that mistake by trading him

We 100% agree on long term contracts.  Most players are already in decline in their early 30s.  Signing a player into their late 30s or even early 40s is a mistake, IMO.  I would not have given Devers that extension.  I was happy to have him remain on the Red Sox at that time, but I wouldn't have given him that contract.

I'm not sure that we'll see Devers play the field very often.  As you noted, he's not been a good defender, though to be fair, he might be able to play a respectable first base.  I'm afraid injuries will keep him off the field defensively.

[Kimmi]

12 hours ago, Hitch said:

“It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said. “…I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.”

 

Devers comments after the game. He'd rather be on the field, except when The Sox really needed him to be. Good riddance. 

This annoys me.  You would think that Devers would have jumped at the chance to play the field again when first base became available.  He chose to "punish" the Red Sox instead by refusing to do so.

[illinoisredsox]

21 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

 

15 hours ago, Hitch said:

“It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said. “…I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.”

 

Devers comments after the game. He'd rather be on the field, except when The Sox really needed him to be. Good riddance. 

I hereby renounce my previous stance that he excels with the Giants except for 3 games a year.  He’s dead to me now.  Henceforth, Devers will be known to me as The Dead Guy (aka TDG).

[Deja Doh]

Devers making his second start at 1B tonight. Apparently he says he likes it.  Whatever.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

13 minutes ago, Deja Doh said:

Devers making his second start at 1B tonight. Apparently he says he likes it.  Whatever.

Similar to those old Life cereal commercials featuring little Mikey.      "He likes it."

Fk Devers.

[Duran Is The Man]

On 7/23/2025 at 5:02 PM, illinoisredsox said:

 

I hereby renounce my previous stance that he excels with the Giants except for 3 games a year.  He’s dead to me now.  Henceforth, Devers will be known to me as The Dead Guy (aka TDG).

same here. i hope he fails miserably.

[Bellhorn04]

Giants before trade: 41-31 .569

Giants since trade: 13-23 .361