The San Francisco Giants answered any remaining questions about their hopes of contending this season with an emphatic move to bring in slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox.
That trade should clear up all doubts about whether the front office believes the team can reach the World Series and if it is willing to increase payroll to do so. But bringing in Devers raised some other questions.
Primarily, it is unclear where exactly he will play. The Red Sox were only willing to trade him after he initially refused to vacate third base for a new teammate and then adamantly refused to give first base a try. For his part, Devers partially answered the question of his role with the Giants by declaring that he’d be willing to play wherever the team wants him during an introductory press conference.
Like the Red Sox, the Giants are in clear need of some more offensive production from first base. Shortly after arriving in San Francisco, Devers worked out at the position and five-time Gold Glove Award winner Matt Chapman offered a clear evaluation of his ability to handle the position.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Matt Chapman #26 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout prior to the start of the game agains the A… | Henderson/Getty/Henderson/Getty
“He’s going to be just fine over there,” Chapman told president of baseball operations Buster Posey, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
Though he’s never been considered a stellar defender, Devers was able to man third base for years with the Red Sox. That suggested he would be able to handle first base with a bit of preparation, even though he refused to try it out for his former team.
Still, praise from Chapman, who is expected to return to third base for the Giants when he recovers from a hand injury, should mean a lot. He won his latest Gold Glove after joining San Francisco as a free agent last year.
But even after Devers’ positive workout at first, he’s unlikely to take over the position in the near future.
“The expectation is that it will take Devers a while to get comfortable at the position and that he’ll serve as the Giants’ designated hitter, like he did in three games against Cleveland, from Friday to Sunday,” Cotillo added.
So far, everything about Devers’ arrival in San Francisco has been positive. If he can continue his offensive production while effectively taking over first base for the Giants, it will be even more so.
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