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5 things to know about players Red Sox acquired in Rafael Devers’ trade
The Red Sox acquired three pitchers and an outfielder as part of the return for Rafael Devers.
The Boston Red Sox reeled off one of the more shocking trades in recent memory on Sunday, dealing star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
Beyond reportedly moving the entirety of Devers’ contract off their books, the Red Sox acquired a four-player package from San Francisco: pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, along with prospects James Tibbs and Jose Bello.
Here are five things to know about the return Boston secured from sending its face of the franchise out to the Bay Area.
1. Hicks has struggled as a starter
At first glance, Hicks appears to be a potential high-upside starter inked to a somewhat team-friendly deal (for a starter) at four years and $44 million (through 2027). WEEI’s Rob Bradford even reported Sunday that the Red Sox attempted to sign Hicks ahead of the 2024 season before he joined the Giants.
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Hicks has the arsenal of pitchers to be an electric arm in a starting rotation. But the 28-year-old righty — who primarily operated out of the bullpen over the first five years of his MLB career — has not settled into a groove since making the switch as a starter.
After sporting a 4.10 ERA last season with the Giants (29 games, 20 starts), Hicks has been knocked for a 6.47 ERA across 13 games this season, including nine starts. Those poor results prompted the Giants to move Hicks to the bullpen in May.
Since that demotion, Hicks has appeared in four games as a reliever — allowing two runs over 3.1 innings of work, before landing on the IL earlier this month.
2. Hicks is one of the hardest throwers in MLB history
Hicks’ calling card on the mound is his blistering fastball — as he repeatedly threw a pitch between 103-105 miles per hour during the 2018 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. The only players to throw a faster pitch in MLB history are now-Red Sox teammate Aroldis Chapman (105.8 miles per hour) and Angels reliever Ben Joyce (105.5 miles per hour).
Hicks’ average fastball velocity has dipped some since his early days in the big leagues — although averaging 97.3 miles per hour on his fastball this season still puts him in the 92nd percentile of big-leaguers in 2025.
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The Red Sox might be able to lean more in those high-velocity offerings from Hicks by keeping him in the bullpen, although that would suddenly make his contract become a pricy deal for a reliever.
3. Harrison might have the highest upside in this return
No player heading back to Boston in this deal will be able to replicate Devers’ raw production at the plate.
But a 23-year-old pitcher like Harrison at least has the potential to be a steady presence in Boston’s starting rotation for the foreseeable future.
One a top prospect, Harrison logged 24 starts in his first full season in the majors during the 2024 season, sporting a 4.56 ERA that season.
He opened this year in Triple-A Sacramento before joining the Giants’ big-league roster again in May. In eight games (four starts), Harrison is 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA. Harrison’s strong fastball velocity led to some promising returns out of the bullpen this season, while his transition back as a starter has been a bit rockier (4.91 ERA over those four starts).
Even though Harrison has some upside, the Red Sox are going to be patient with the southpaw’s development, as the team opted to assign him to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.
4. Tibbs was one of the top prospects in San Francisco’s system
While not as established as some of the other youngsters in the Giants’ organization — headlined by MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 prospect in Bryce Eldridge — Tibbs was tabbed as San Francisco’s No. 3 overall prospect by Baseball America.
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Tibbs was selected No. 13 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft — just one spot after the Red Sox selected Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery at No. 12 overall. Boston traded Montgomery as part of the package to acquire Garrett Crochet from the White Sox just a few months later.
Tibbs, a 22-year-old outfielder, was batting .246 with 12 homers, 10 doubles, one triple, 32 RBIs, 41 runs, 42 walks and 45 strikeouts in 57 games for High-A Eugene this season.
“Tibbs offered one of the best combinations of swing decisions and hard contact in the Draft,” MLB Pipeline said of Tibbs’ approach. “He has a smooth left-handed swing with plenty of bat speed and strength, giving him solid power to all fields.
“While at Florida State, he closed the holes he once had against breaking pitches, shrunk his strikeout rate from 32 percent as a freshman to 12 percent as a junior and boosted his walk rate from 12 percent to 18 percent.”
5. Bello has a very limited track record
It’s going to take some time to discern just how much big-league upside Bello has. Signed as an international free agent by the Giants in January 2023, Bello is a 20-year-old pitcher who has sported a 2.00 ERA out of the bullpen during rookie ball this season within San Francisco’s organization.
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The 6-foot-1 righty has pitched 18 innings so far this season in the Florida Complex League, striking out 28 batters while allowing three walks and four earned runs.
Neither MLB Pipeline or Baseball America had Bello tabbed as one of the Giants’ top 30 prospects.
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