“Don’t know Rafael Devers is a human being” - MLB analyst disses on 1B as SF woes continue, credits Red Sox for making savvy deal

The San Francisco Giants made headlines in June after trading for Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. Devers was expected to propel the Giants to the next level, however, it hasn't panned out that way.

The Giants were tied at the top of the National League West when Devers arrived in San Francisco on June 15. However, the NL West team has spiralled since, going 18-31, the worst record in baseball during the stretch.

MLB analyst Jake Savicki reflected on the Giants' slump and the Red Sox's resurgence since the Devers trade on his "Hold My Ball Podcast."

"I just think I truly, truly enjoy Boston's success because they let Denver's go for nothing, they just said, 'See you later, dude,"' Savicki said (10:00 onwards). "They didn't even shop him around, which I just love. They just stood up and said, 'F**k it, we're done.'

"And the Giants went, 'A huge deal look who we just got,' bam, worst record in baseball since that trade happened. Let it be a lesson to everybody out there that it's bigger than the talent man. Almost just pisses me off, even thinking about it."

While Savicki said he doesn't know Devers personally, the infielder's attitude in Boston irked him. He said:

"I don't know Devers as a human being. I don't even know him as a teammate or a baseball player, I just know that what I saw from the outside looking, I did not like anything about the way he handled this season, and I didn't like it so much that I am finding a lot of joy out of the San Francisco Giants' Losing record and the Boston Red Sox winning record since the trade happened."

As the Giants have dropped to fourth in the NL West, the Red Sox have climbed to second in the AL East and are a strong contender to make the postseason.

Rafael Devers has contributed to Giants' slump since moving from Boston

The lack of chemistry in the clubhouse is one of the factors in the Giants' slump over the last two months. However, Rafael Devers has also played a part in the spiral.

The former Red Sox franchise star is slashing .230/.344/.416 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs since joining the Giants. While Buster Posey tried to strengthen the roster by adding big names the team has lacked cohesion on the diamond.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash