The Boston Red Sox sent shockwaves through the baseball world on Sunday, when they traded their highest-paid player and “face of the franchise” Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Amazingly, the Giants agreed to pick up all of the money remaining to paid to Devers on the 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension he signed before the 2023 season.
That means the Giants now owe Devers approximately $250 million over the next nine seasons, including what’s left of the current one.
Trading a player of Devers stature, as well as with his contract status, previously seemed unthinkable. But now, thanks to the Red Sox and Giants, the precedent has been set.
With that in mind, Zachary D. Rymer – lead MLB writer for Bleacher Report â proposed a series of trades involving players on long-term, big money contracts that, at least in theory, could now be on the table, trades that previously would have been just as far-fetched as Boston dealing away Devers in June.
Tigers Could Trade For a Shortstop
For the Detroit Tigers, according to Rymer, the benefits of this newfound freedom to deal superstars could be considerable. Following their dramatic, late-season run to the playoffs â when after sitting at a sluggish 62-66 on August 22 they went 24-10 the rest of the way to grab the second American League playoff spot â the Tigers this season have simply been the best team in baseball.
Not only do they sit comfortably atop the AL Central, 9 1/2 games on top of the Cleveland Guardians heading into Wednesday’s MLB slate, the Tigers at 47-27 boast the best record in any division. They lead the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs who have both won 45 against 28 losses, and the Los Angeles Dodgers who also have 45 wins, but 29 losses.
But can the Tigers get better? According to Rymer the answer is â yes. At shortstop.
“The position has produced a paltry 0.4 rWAR, not to mention -3 Outs Above Average,” Rymer noted. The Tigers have distributed their shortstop reps among Javier Baez, who has played 18 games there, Zach McKinstry with eight appearances at short, and Andy Ibañez who has played juts one game there.
But the bulk of the action has gone to Trey Sweeney who has played 62 games at short for the Tigers, with a .222 batting average and anemic .591 OPS â plus a wRC+ number of just 68. That’s a measure of how much a player has contributed offensively to a team, with the MLB average set at 100. In other words, Sweeney has performed 38 percent worse than the average hitter.
Padres’ Bogaerts Would Benefit From Comerica Park
Can the Tigers do better? Rymer thinks so â if they work out a trade for San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
After playing the first decade of his career in Boston, where he was named an All-Star four times, the now-32-year-old Bogaerts signed a whopping 11-year, $280 million free agent deal with San Diego after the 2022 campaign.
“His contract seemed like a bad idea from the start, and it’s only looking worse three years in,” Rymer wrote. “His bat has mostly been quiet since a hot first month as a Padre in 2023, and especially as he’s put up a meager .661 OPS since the start of 2024.”
But a change of scenery, specifically to Detroit’s Comerica Park, would be a boon to Bogaerts, Rymer believes.
“Comerica Park is the inverse of Petco Park. It kills righties on home runs, but it’s better for singles and doubles than San Diego’s digs,” he wrote. “That’s the big gaps at work, and they’d surely work for Bogaerts, too.”
What would the Tigers need to give up to land Bogaerts? If the Devers trade is a guideline, the price would be a package of young players and prospects.
For example, Detroit’s No. 6 prospect is an infielder , 22-year-old Hao-yu Lee, a Taiwanese native originally signed by the Phillies in 2021 who, according to MLB Pipeline, “has an advanced grasp of the strike zone and an ability to make consistent quality contact. … he shows good instincts and a quick step on the basepaths, stealing 16 bases in 17 tries in 2024, and he shows solid defense at second base.”
Currently at the Triple-A level, Lee could take Bogaerts’ place in the San Diego infield this season, or possibly next if the Padres feel he needs further development.
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