June 15 will probably be forever etched in the memories of the Red Sox Nation. Not just because they defeated their archenemies, but also because they had to bid adieu to Rafael Devers. Traded to the San Francisco Giants ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, and two other prospects—every day something new is making the rounds around this story.

The whole drama around this deal hasn’t been really smooth. Speaking of it, Devers exclaimed, “What happened with the Red Sox is in the past. I’m someone who takes it day by day and will give it my best now that I’m here.” On Tuesday, he debuted as a Giants hitter against the Guardians, and the excitement was palpable as he received a standing ovation.

But despite all that, MLB insiders Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian didn’t seem happy about how Raffy handled everything. And they didn’t hold back on sharing thoughts from other teams.

On the Baseball Tonight podcast by Buster Olney, he discussed the matter with Kurkjian. “Fans in Boston are not critical of Devers and how he handled it. Within the sport, people of other teams are appalled at how he handled that. One person says to me, ‘Look, the team’s handling of this, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being bad, was a six.’ This person said Devers is a 10 out of 10; look how badly he handled this.”

With Devers, it all began when he was moved from third base to designated hitter. All because of the need to accommodate Alex Bregman. However, after Triston Casas was hurt, he was asked to play first base, something he refused to do. “I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers reacted, showing his frustration with Craig Breslow. But Red Sox management believed Devers could have set aside all other considerations and concentrated only on what was best for the team.

And amidst that, when Kristian Campbell was approached, he was all in to go. And everything, altogether, probably, landed him with the San Francisco Giants.

Olney further added, “He goes to a new team, Tim, and at some point, Buster Posey and Bob Melvin sit down with him and they talk about what to do. Now that he’s gone through it once, I hope the next time he says, ‘Yeah, I will go take ground balls at first base’ and not handle it the way he did with the Red Sox.” That’s where insider Tim Kurkjian chimed in.

“If Buster Posey is gonna sit down in front of him, a future Hall of Famer, three-time world champion, best position player on three world championship teams, MVP, batting champ, and a guy who speaks softly, he doesn’t speak very often. If that guy sits and looks at you now and says, ‘Look, we got a chance to win here and we need you to be great. We need you to do what we tell you to do’. I think Rafael Devers will do whatever he is asked to do. If he’d done exactly that with the Red Sox, he would still be there, but he didn’t, and that’s the biggest reason he is out.”

True! The stature of Buster Posey isn’t hidden. While playing for the Giants, he was ranked among the top leaders in terms of batting average (.302), home runs (158), doubles (294), RBIs (729), and even OBP (.372), with a .831 OPS. As a catcher, he managed to catch 511 innings across the five postseason appearances he made with the Giants.

So, now with someone like Buster Posey behind Devers, it will probably be difficult for him to say no. He will have to make himself flexible and ensure he is doing his best. And maybe, that’s why we heard him say, “I am here to play wherever they want me to play.”

That being said, Rafael Devers has been pretty good this season. He has been batting at a .271 batting average, scored 15 home runs, and had 59 RBIs at a .899 OPS. And hopefully, he will keep that up with the Giants, too. 

The quicker Raffy adapts to his new position, the better it will be for him to show what he is capable of. But meanwhile, his debut with the Giants hasn’t gone the way he probably expected it to go. 

Rafael Devers’ debut spoiled by Giants’ loss to the Guardians

Rafael Devers was in his second year of the massive 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox signed in 2023. However, with all the positional drama, both sides called it quits. And on Tuesday, he made his debut with the San Francisco Giants.

Devers started strong as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI double, which allowed the Giants to acquire a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Guardians. His first hit was a cracker as it came off the bat at 111.4 mph, pushing to the right center field. He added another single off Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians. “I was a little bit nervous before my first at-bat, but I was also excited because of the ovation from the fans. I was happy because they gave me a great welcome.”

But unfortunately, the game didn’t go the Giants’ way. And it was Gabriel Arias, who played the spoilsport in Devers’ debut. He hit a massive homer in the sixth and another double in the ninth, allowing the Guardians to clinch a win against the Giants. 

The 28-year-old started as a designated hitter for the team. However, manager Bob Melvin cleared the air, revealing that he would soon take the ground balls at first base. Naturally, this is good news for many, since the fallout was caused by the same position he denied with the Red Sox. However, not to forget that he was earlier pushed to change his position as well when Alex Bregman was signed. 

So, while all the fold unravel, we are willing to watch Rafael Devers as a 1B. NGL…