Giants trade idea sends Rafael Devers to NL East club in fascinating exchange

It's not a secret that the 2026 season is not going well for the San Francisco Giants, to the point that it's very possible the Giants wind up as trade deadline sellers.

Assuming the Giants sell, players like Tyler Mahle, Robbie Ray, and Luis Arraez will be commonly talked-about names. But what about someone like Rafael Devers, whose contract the Giants might want to get out of if they can?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report proposed a trade idea for the Giants that would send Devers to the NL East Washington Nationals in exchange for a very fascinating package of prospects and, as Miller described it, a "boatload" of financial relief.

Giants trade idea sends Rafael Devers to Nationals for intriguing haul

"The Trade: San Francisco Giants send 1B/DH Rafael Devers to the Washington Nationals for RHP Luis Perales, LHP Alex Clemmey, OF Sam Petersen, and a boatload of current/future salary relief," Miller writes.

This prospect return for Devers isn't a massive one, as Perales, Clemmey, and Petersen, while some of the Nationals' top prospects, aren't among their best, like Harry Ford, Eli Willits, and Jarlin Susana.

But, for the Giants, this would be a great trade to help spark a roster reset, as they'd be getting these three intriguing prospects, and more importantly, freeing up a ton of salary with the Nationals footing the bill for much of Dever's contract.

The 29-year-old is under contract through the 2033 season on a 10-year, $313.5 million deal. There's still a ton of money left on his contract, and having the Nationals pick up his deal would be a huge help for the Giants in reshaping the roster.

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Since the Nationals have very little money on their books, such a trade could work, especially since they've shown themselves to be one of the better offensive teams in the league. Adding Devers would be a nice upgrade at first base for Washington.

While this trade idea might work in theory, the Nationals would have to be willing to take on a lot of Devers' contract, along with parting with some decent prospects to get him.

For the Giants, even though getting out of Devers' deal would be nice, it's still a huge decision to trade him away and take his bat out of the lineup, especially right as he's starting to heat up this season.

But, if Miller's hypothetical trade were to come true, then the Nationals would get a new premier slugger, while the Giants acquire some intriguing prospects and free up a ton of money. This is a fascinating trade idea, and one that would be a lot of fun if it happened.

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