With the San Francisco Giants poised to sell, a scorching July power surge from the veteran slugger offers a high-stakes escape route from his massive decade-long contract.
If there's a team out there willing to eat Rafael Devers' massive contract, the time to make a move is now.
The San Francisco Giants remain unsure of what they're going to do at the trade deadline, but things aren't looking good after their latest loss.
The lone bright spot, offensively, was Devers. The 29-year-old has been on a heater in the month of July, and there's no hotter time than now, knowing the trade deadline is right around the corner.
Remember, Devers came to San Francisco during the 2025 season and is in the midst of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. It's one the Giants decided would be worth it, but clearly, their record says otherwise.
Devers' OPS in July: 1.256
The Dominican Republic native is slashing .375/.475/.781 in his 32 at-bats this month. His OPS is well above the .808 is sits at for his overall total in 2026. Knowing he's coming off a three-hit, 3 RBI game, it seems like the first baseman/designated hitter still has sky-high potential.
Devers would give any team a power bat, but he's been streaky, to say the least, here in 2026. Seemingly nothing is off the table for Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey as his Giants are nowhere near where anyone expected them to be at this point in the season.
Here in July, Devers already has four multi-hit games. He now has five hits and 5 RBIs in his last two games. In roughly a one-month sample size, his batting average has gone up from .230 to .253.
Should someone be interested in trading for Devers, they'd love to see his average get back up to the .270-.290 range it's been in the past. Sure, his numbers may be down, but he's trending in the right direction at the right time for a Giants team that is poised to be sellers.
Biggest hiccup: $313.5M contract
No matter what Devers has done so far this month, his contract is going to be the biggest thing that holds him back from being traded. The Boston Red Sox were beyond lucky to get the Giants to eat the majority of this contract. However, will the Giants be able to be as lucky as them?
Ultimately, it'll take a desperate team who believes they're one move away. Whether or not Devers is that one move still remains to be seen, but he's getting back to where he's been in previous years, and that's good news for a Giants team that has openly admitted they're willing to trade him.
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