Giants Acquire Rafael Devers

[brewtown107]

Originally Posted by eastbayak

A leaner Pablo Sandoval?! We'll take it!

I liked Sandoval too, but remember: he had his last effective major league season before he turned 28. Giants fans remember him fondly because they got all of his good years and paid for none of his bad years.

Boston wanted him gone so badly that they shipped him back to San Fran and still paid most of his salary for years. He was already cooked by then though.

If Devers has a similar career arc--which is quite possible for a bat-only player with conditioning issues-- then he will be the anti-Kung Fu Panda. Played all his good years elsewhere, and the Giants are on the hook for his decline years only.

[atk825]

Originally Posted by brewtown107

I liked Sandoval too, but remember: he had his last effective major league season before he turned 28. Giants fans remember him fondly because they got all of his good years and paid for none of his bad years.

Boston wanted him gone so badly that they shipped him back to San Fran and still paid most of his salary for years. He was already cooked by then though.

If Devers has a similar career arc--which is quite possible for a bat-only player with conditioning issues-- then he will be the anti-Kung Fu Panda. Played all his good years elsewhere, and the Giants are on the hook for his decline years only.

Is there any evidence he actually has conditioning issues?

[Archangel1775]

Originally Posted by Tibbs2004

Sounds like he has been asking for a trade since spring training. And after his attitude issues with not wanting to play third or first, they were done with him. They found a team willing to take on the entirety of his contact and cut him loose.

As a massive Red Sox fan, I'm fine with this move. We don't need the superstar being an issue in the clubhouse, and we have plenty of talent coming up through the farm system to replace his bat. Thanks for the memories Raffy! Good luck!

I would agree, had transparency been important to your GM. But no worries, you wont have that superstar problem after this year when Bregman opts out

[Hollywood42]

No. That and this contract discussion is silly. Dude consistently plays 140+ games and posts a wRC+ of 130+. His contract is not cheap, but it's currently like 20th in AAV and will drop as guys continue to get paid. Devers is one of the better offensive players in the game. He's not blameless in this situation, but I'd put things wayyy more on the front office (and ownership) with how it has played out

Originally Posted by atk825

Is there any evidence he actually has conditioning issues?

[SaveMeTheGum]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

No. That and this contract discussion is silly. Dude consistently plays 140+ games and posts a wRC+ of 130+. His contract is not cheap, but it's currently like 20th in AAV and will drop as guys continue to get paid. Devers is one of the better offensive players in the game. He's not blameless in this situation, but I'd put things wayyy more on the front office (and ownership) with how it has played out

You just described Prince Fielder until he turned 29...

[seanbros55]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

No. That and this contract discussion is silly. Dude consistently plays 140+ games and posts a wRC+ of 130+. His contract is not cheap, but it's currently like 20th in AAV and will drop as guys continue to get paid. Devers is one of the better offensive players in the game. He's not blameless in this situation, but I'd put things wayyy more on the front office (and ownership) with how it has played out

100% this. Current (and previous) front office has proven over and over to be inept and shiesty and ownership is more than complicit, especially when they can cut $300mill in payroll while poorly attempting to make a beloved player look to be at fault.

[atk825]

Anyone happy about this from the Boston side is just huffing a big dose of copium.

[Hollywood42]

Prince Fielder retired because of 2 rounds of spinal fusion surgeries in 3 years that prevented him from playing baseball anymore, weird comp

Can anyone drop off a cliff and disappear into nothingness in their 30s, whatever the circumstances may be? Sure. But people are just inventing ways that Devers will suddenly fall off a cliff at this point. He has been one of the most consistent and best hitters in the league over his career

Originally Posted by SaveMeTheGum

You just described Prince Fielder until he turned 29...

[Triple B]

Originally Posted by SaveMeTheGum

You just described Prince Fielder until he turned 29...

Whenever someone brings up Prince Fielder as a comparison of someone with bad conditioning, I immediately know that they're not baseball fans; they're 11pm highlight fans.

[SaveMeTheGum]

Originally Posted by Triple B

Whenever someone brings up Prince Fielder as a comparison of someone with bad conditioning, I immediately know that they're not baseball fans; they're 11pm highlight fans.

2028 Vlad Guerrero Jr. will be another good comp.

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

Can anyone drop off a cliff and disappear into nothingness in their 30s, whatever the circumstances may be? Sure. But people are just inventing ways that Devers will suddenly fall off a cliff at this point. He has been one of the most consistent and best hitters in the league over his career

Devers childish behavior forced the Red Sox hand. He might not fall off a cliff, but he's also not going to hit 30 HR's in SF. They just bought an overpriced 20-25 HR hitting DH. Sox should have tried to get a better return but I'm not at all sad to see him go.

[atk825]

Originally Posted by SaveMeTheGum

You just described Prince Fielder until he turned 29...

And also Freddie Freeman. Say whatever happened to him?

[GaryPayton]

I thought Matt Chapman was going to mash when he got here, but there is something about Oracle that keeps the ball in the park. I think Devers will need some special assistance like Bonds did to consistently hit 30hr in SF.

[Triple B]

Originally Posted by SaveMeTheGum

2028 Vlad Guerrero Jr. will be another good comp.

11pm highlights fan energy.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by GaryPayton

I thought Matt Chapman was going to mash when he got here, but there is something about Oracle that keeps the ball in the park. I think Devers will need some special assistance like Bonds did to consistently hit 30hr in SF.

Huh? He's had a 162-game average of 29 home runs in a season-and-a-half with the Giants, the same as before joining the Giants. He's hit a total of 39 home runs the last two seasons, with an xHR (expected home run total, according to Statcast) of 37.4.

[atk825]

Originally Posted by GaryPayton

I thought Matt Chapman was going to mash when he got here, but there is something about Oracle that keeps the ball in the park. I think Devers will need some special assistance like Bonds did to consistently hit 30hr in SF.

Chapman has a 128 OPS+ in SF and has been a 10 WAR player over 216 games.

[Twalk1975]

Everyone keeps commenting about Devers HR numbers while ignoring the fact that dude has 273 doubles already. He's a pretty good hitter, and is not entirely dependent on hitting home runs.

[RainCityShecks]

to liken this trade to the Luka trade is absolulte insanity. I get it, RD is a good hitter, but not even close to a game changing generational talent like Luka who redefined how one could play and be successful in a professional sport league.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by brewtown107

Go look at statcast park factors. He's benefited from playing in the 2nd best ballpark for left handed hitters, and he's headed to the 3rd worst ballpark for left handed hitters. That OPS will be coming down, guaranteed. He's been about a 30 hr hitter, more or less, in that favorable ballpark when the league leaders are hitting 40 to 50. He's only hit more than 35 home runs once and has never hit 40. Yet they call him a slugger, lol.

Devers has hit 15 home runs this season, which makes him one of the leaders in the American League.

However, per Baseball Savant, he would have 13 home runs if he played all of his games at Boston's Fenway Park. Meanwhile, if he had played all of his games at San Francisco's Oracle Park, that number is 17 home runs.

Further, 11 of his 18 doubles this season would have resulted in home runs at Oracle.

Last year, Devers would have hit 25 home runs if he played all of his games at Fenway. If his games were at Oracle instead, it would have increased to 28 home runs.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sport...k/84227880007/

[duwal]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Huh? He's had a 162-game average of 29 home runs in a season-and-a-half with the Giants, the same as before joining the Giants. He's hit a total of 39 home runs the last two seasons, with an xHR (expected home run total, according to Statcast) of 37.4.

23 of those have been while playing on the road though too

[seanbros55]

Originally Posted by GaryPayton

I thought Matt Chapman was going to mash when he got here, but there is something about Oracle that keeps the ball in the park. I think Devers will need some special assistance like Bonds did to consistently hit 30hr in SF.

Pretty sure it’s the 55 degree night time temps and swirling winds between the months of January and December.

[atk825]

Originally Posted by RainCityShecks

to liken this trade to the Luka trade is absolulte insanity. I get it, RD is a good hitter, but not even close to a game changing generational talent like Luka who redefined how one could play and be successful in a professional sport league.

The Mavericks also got back a Hall of Famer in return. I think the Piazza/Sheffield trade was more like the Luka trade.

[brewtown107]

Originally Posted by atk825

Is there any evidence he actually has conditioning issues?

Just Google "Devers out of shape" and you will find articles from this very spring

https://www.essentiallysports.com/ml...a-team-player/

[SethMurphy]

As a Yankee fan I'm ecstatic to see Devers out of the division. He absolutely murdered us every time. He has the most home runs against the Yankees of any active player

[brewtown107]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sport...k/84227880007/

So Statcast says he would have 28 home runs already this season if he played all his games at Oracle Park. Sorry, I don't buy it. Something is off there. Not all projections are accurate.

[brewtown107]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Huh? He's had a 162-game average of 29 home runs in a season-and-a-half with the Giants, the same as before joining the Giants. He's hit a total of 39 home runs the last two seasons, with an xHR (expected home run total, according to Statcast) of 37.4.

So that's a less-than-30 HR pace, gotcha. And nobody plays 162 games, so it's not even a 29 HR per actual season pace.

Devers certainly doesn't play 162 games per season. Pencil him in for 25 HRs, more or less.

Unless you believe what they're smoking over at Statcast, where they claim he would be at a 50 to 60 HR pace in Oracle even though the place is a known drag on hitting and he's never shown that kind of game power in his career. Lol