Many were surprised when Buster Posey, the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, admitted that the deal to acquire Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox brought him emotions he hadn’t felt since his playing days.
In his initial public statements after the major Sunday-night trade, Posey expressed a sense of excitement, comparing it to the pregame butterflies that once fueled his Hall of Fame-level career.
Buster Posey Discusses Acquiring Rafael Devers
As a player, Posey steered the Giants to three World Series titles. Many expected that he would carry his playing experiences into his new role. That likely was seen in the aggressive move to acquire Devers over one month before the trade deadline.
In a press conference following the trade, Posey freely talked about the significance of the trade and what was at stake. “The bat is incredibly special,” Posey shared with reporters, as reported by Alex Pavlovic from NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It’s just really hard to acquire this type of talent at this point of his career,” Posey continued. “We’re obviously taking on a lot of money. We’re giving up some pitching, we’re giving up our first-round pick last year, so it didn’t come without a cost. It felt like this was a chance to take a shot.”
Posey also recalled how right before the trade talks were winding down, he told his wife that the emotions of the trade process reminded him of his playing days.
Posey got the same adrenaline rush closing the Devers deal as he did during his career🫡💪
"I was telling (wife) Kristen yesterday morning as this was coming together, 'I kind of have some of the same anxiety that I had before every single game.' So it was a fun feeling it was… pic.twitter.com/Qw6VHCPj6V
— KNBR (@KNBR)
Reflecting on the trade discussion that began several weeks ago, Posey praised Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for laying the groundwork for a potential deal.
The conversation between the two executives initially started quietly, but as the ownership of the Giants found its voice in the last days, the deal gained momentum.
“Ownership will always need to sign off when the front office wants to bring in a player making $250 million, but the Giants are thrilled to have Devers and his bat in the middle of their order for the next decade,” Posey explained via Matt Geagan of CBSNews.com.
Devers, one of the most fearsome sluggers in baseball, hit .272/.401/.504 with 15 homers and 58 RBI in 73 games with the Red Sox. He even hit a solo home run on Sunday in a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees. The Red Sox were winning games again, and it looked like the Devers drama was in the past. So, nobody expected that home run to be the final highlight of Devers in a Boston uniform.
The Giants have been looking for a legitimate power bat to insert in the middle of the lineup for years. The last Giant to hit 30 or more home runs in a season was Barry Bonds. In Devers, it appears that San Francisco finally found its guy, still in the prime of his career.
Posey did not hesitate to admit how much the Giants paid.
“We’re obviously taking on a lot of money. We’re giving up some pitching, we’re giving up our first‑round pick last year, so it didn’t come without a cost,” he said.
The Giants traded away some valuable assets. Pitcher Jordan Hicks, who has a strong arm; Kyle Harrison, who was a promising starter; James Tibbs III, the first-round draft pick of 2024; and Jose Bello, who was another well-reviewed prospect.