Vibes were immaculate for the San Francisco Giants when they acquired Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox.
Taking on Devers’ massive contract was a narrative secondary to the main point for the Giants: they’d just added one of baseball’s best hitters to the lineup. However, things have gone south for San Francisco in the Devers era, and now even manager Bob Melvin’s job might be in jeopardy.
The Giants are 18-31 since the Devers deal and have inexplicably lost 14 of their last 15 games at Oracle Park. Devers has struggled in a Giants uniform, hitting just .221 with seven home runs. Injuries to key players like Matt Chapman and the bullpen have hurt Melvin’s club. The starting rotation hasn’t performed up to expectations, either.
Critics of Melvin will claim that he hasn’t used Devers well enough or fixed the team’s defensive problems, which have cost them close games. The Giants are now all but out of the playoff picture, and suddenly, president of baseball operations Buster Posey has a big decision to make, as alluded to on Sunday by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“Just six weeks after San Francisco Giants boss Buster Posey thought it was time to pick up manager Bob Melvin’s $4 million option, he now must decide in these next six weeks whether to fire him,” Nightengale wrote.
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“The Giants, who were all in when they jumped the deadline and acquired Rafael Devers and his remaining $232 million from the Boston Red Sox, have become baseball’s most underachieving team.”
“Their performance, barring a dramatic turnaround, could cost Melvin his job,” Nightengale continued. “San Francisco would become another potential destination spot for former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who will be the hottest free-agent managerial candidate this winter.”
The Devers acquisition was supposed to take the Giants to new heights. Instead, San Francisco has descended into an unforeseen valley since the deal. The next month and a half could decide the team’s direction for years.
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Blaming Devers’ struggles for San Francisco’s slide would be to falsely simplify a multifaceted situation. However, it’s not a great look for Devers that his former team has done nothing but improve its standing in Major League Baseball since his departure.
Beyond being a better team in the win column, Boston has embraced a different kind of energy since the Devers trade, and fans have moved on from Devers, as a result, far sooner than expected.