In a move that sent shockwaves through the National League West, the San Francisco Giants stunned the baseball world by acquiring All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox ahead of their series finale with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While teams across the league scrambled to process the trade, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed something more surprising: he was never contacted about Devers’ availability.
“Andrew Friedman said he never heard from them,” reported The Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin.
Given Devers’ positional fit as a first baseman and designated hitter in San Francisco, perhaps Boston overlooked Los Angeles due to the Dodgers’ depth at those spots with Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani. But with underperformance in left field and Max Muncy’s inconsistency at third, many question whether the Dodgers could have explored a multi-team scenario to make a deal work.
Could the Los Angeles Dodgers Have Fit Devers?
Devers’ glove has long been seen as a liability at third, and with Freeman and Ohtani locked into key roles, his bat alone wasn’t enough to force a fit. Still, the Dodgers’ need for production in left field remains glaring. Michael Conforto’s .168 batting average and below-replacement defense have helped sink L.A. to 29th in WAR at the position—only the Padres rank worse.
Rivalry Heats Up in the West
The timing of the trade couldn’t be more significant. The Dodgers, Giants, and Padres are locked in a razor-tight NL West race. Through Tuesday’s games, just five games separate the three clubs.
Friedman, who recently parted ways with veterans Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes to keep the roster playoff-ready, emphasized the urgency of the moment.
“With where we are, the division race, the competition of the roster, everything—we felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest,” Friedman said in May.
Looking Ahead
The Dodgers and Giants will meet again in July. This time, Rafael Devers will be wearing orange and black. And while Los Angeles may not have been offered a seat at the table in this trade, they’ll certainly feel its impact in the heat of a division battle.