NEW YORK — The Yankees passed on Rafael Devers once before. Now, the slugger may be circling back into their orbit at exactly the right moment.
With the trade deadline approaching and the American League wide open, analysts have begun floating Devers as a fit for a Yankees lineup that could use another big bat. The idea gives New York what amounts to a second look at a hitter they once could have pursued.
The fit makes sense on paper, even if the finances make it anything but simple.
A bat made for the Bronx
The appeal of Devers for the Yankees starts with his swing. The left-handed hitter has long looked like a natural fit for Yankee Stadium.
FanSided’s Jake Elman recently laid out the case, arguing that Devers checks the boxes New York needs. He pointed to both the ballpark fit and the team’s current hole at designated hitter.
“Objectively speaking, Devers makes perfect sense for the Yankees,” Elman wrote. “His swing is tailor-made for Yankee Stadium, and he’d certainly be a more reliable DH than Giancarlo Stanton, at least from a health perspective.”
Elman even floated a specific framework to make the money work for both sides.
“Actually, the more that we think about it, a Stanton for Devers salary dump isn’t the worst idea,” Elman wrote.
Why the timing lines up
The suggestion arrives at a logical moment for the Yankees. The team is winning but still searching for ways to pull away in the AL.
As of June 17, New York sat at 44-27 with a three-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have shown no signs of fading, which could push the Yankees to make a significant addition before the Aug. 3 deadline.
Stanton’s health has only sharpened the need. The veteran designated hitter has been limited by injuries, leaving the Yankees thin at a spot where Devers could provide steady, everyday production.
Devers since the Giants trade
Devers landed in San Francisco after a stunning move last year, when the Boston Red Sox traded him within the division’s reach. His time with the Giants has been a mixed bag.
Since the deal, Devers is hitting .235 with 30 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 86 runs scored over 163 games, according to StatMuse. The power has remained, even as the batting average has dipped from his peak years in Boston.
For the Yankees, the calculation is whether that power would play up in the Bronx. Devers has spent his career punishing American League East pitching, and Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch could be a perfect match for his pull-heavy left-handed stroke.
Devers is also no stranger to the rivalry. He spent his entire career with the Red Sox before the trade, tormenting the Yankees as one of Boston’s most feared hitters. A move to New York would mark a dramatic turn for a player long viewed as an AL East villain in the Bronx.
Giants signal a willingness to deal
The renewed chatter gained steam this week when national reporters indicated the Giants are open for business. The development hands Brian Cashman a chance to address more than one need at once.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Monday that San Francisco is fielding offers on its three highest-paid position players, a group that includes Devers along with Willy Adames and Matt Chapman, plus other candidates such as Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray.
“The Giants are open to offers for their three highest-paid position players—Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman—among other obvious trade candidates, like Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray,” he wrote.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal echoed the sentiment the same day. He reported that the Giants have quietly been gauging interest, with one line summing it up.
San Francisco has been “testing the waters for potential deals,” Rosenthal wrote, citing people briefed on the talks.
“In recent days, the Giants have put out feelers on some of their players, testing the waters for potential deals, according to people briefed on their discussions,” according to him.
Of all the names the Giants are dangling, Devers stands out as the one most worth a long look from the Yankees. His left-handed power and designated-hitter fit line up neatly with what the team lacks.
The contract and the price tag
Any conversation about Devers and the Yankees comes back to the contract. It is one of the most expensive in the sport.
Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension with Boston in January 2023, a franchise-record deal that runs through the 2033 season at an average of about $31 million per year. The Giants assumed that contract when they acquired him last June.
The remaining bill is steep. Devers is owed roughly $211 million from 2027 through 2033, or just north of $30 million annually, on top of his salary for the current season. For the Yankees to take it on, the Giants would almost certainly need to absorb a sizable chunk of the money.
That price is the crux of the entire debate, and it sets up the larger question hanging over a possible deal.
Elman acknowledged that the Yankees’ budget makes the move difficult, especially with the possibility of a salary cap looming in the next collective bargaining agreement.
“The problem is the Yankees’ overall budget, especially with the possibility of a salary cap looming,” Elman wrote. “Even if the Giants eat some of Devers’ contract, the Yankees only have so much money to go around, assuming a cap is implemented this winter.”
That uncertainty is why even those floating the idea concede it may be more fun than realistic. Still, Elman included Devers anyway, writing that the notion of him in pinstripes was too amusing to ignore.
A familiar name worth watching
Whether the Yankees seriously pursue Devers remains to be seen. For now, the speculation reflects how the slugger keeps resurfacing in connection with the Bronx.
The Yankees missed their first window to add Devers, watching him change uniforms without landing in New York. This deadline offers a fresh opportunity, even if the financial questions loom large over any potential move.
As the Aug. 3 deadline draws closer, expect the Yankees to be linked to plenty of bats. Devers, given his profile and his fit at Yankee Stadium, figures to remain among the most tantalizing names on that list. The second chance is there if the Yankees decide the money is worth it.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
