What initially looked like a bold gamble by the Giants is aging better by the month.
Just over seven months after San Francisco acquired Rafael Devers in a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox, one of the key arms Boston received in return reportedly is on the move.
The Red Sox have agreed to trade Jordan Hicks to the Chicago White Sox, MLB insider Mark Feinsand reported Monday.
When the original trade went down in June, it marked a clear philosophical split between the two organizations.
The Giants made an aggressive push to chase the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Red Sox, meanwhile, used the deal to shed the remaining years of Devers’ massive contract and pivot toward roster flexibility and long-term talent accumulation.
At the time, Boston’s return centered on pitching depth and control. Hicks and left-hander Kyle Harrison were expected to help stabilize a rotation that had been stretched thin, while first-round outfielder James Tibbs gave Boston a longer-term developmental piece before they traded him to the Dodgers.
Now, that picture looks much different.
Hicks’ departure highlights just how quickly Boston has reshuffled the Devers return. While the right-hander’s versatility made him an intriguing acquisition last summer, his tenure with the Red Sox was short-lived. Rather than anchoring the rotation long term, Hicks now is being flipped — along with prospect David Sandlin — to Chicago for right-hander Gage Ziehl, leaving Boston with one fewer tangible piece from a deal that sent out its franchise slugger.
Harrison has shown flashes since the trade, but his impact has been limited in a small sample. Across eight appearances with San Francisco prior to the deal, the left-hander posted 25 strikeouts over 23.2 innings while allowing four home runs. In his early stint with Boston, Harrison has made three appearances — including two starts — striking out 13 batters over 12 innings while surrendering 0 home runs.
Meanwhile, the Giants landed exactly what they set out to acquire.
Devers arrived amid positional questions after Boston’s offseason signing of Alex Bregman, eventually settling into a full-time designated hitter role. He joined San Francisco as one of the most accomplished hitters of his generation. Over nine seasons in Boston, Devers produced 215 home runs and helped deliver a World Series title in 2018.
For the Giants, the value is simple: proven star power. As other teams continue to cycle through pieces of the original return, San Francisco still rosters the centerpiece of the deal — a 28-year-old slugger signed to anchor the lineup for years to come.
Boston ultimately might extract long-term value through future returns tied to Hicks’ latest move. But as the dust continues to settle, the early verdict is clear: the more the Red Sox reshuffle the Devers package, the stronger the Giants’ decision looks.
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