The Giants’ Rafael Devers situation is already drifting into trade-deadline territory, and the fit that jumps out most in this scenario is a strange one: Miami.
San Francisco has reasons to move on. Devers has delivered the home runs that came with the package, and he’s even been heating up lately, including a two-homer game in the past week.
But the rest of the profile has not matched the hope that came with acquiring him on Father’s Day in 2025. He’s been whiffing on fastballs too often, his walk rate has cratered, and his batting average would be his worst since 2018.
Add in the lingering concern about his clubhouse reputation, the Jonah Cox pinch-runner incident that undercut Tony Vitello’s call in the dugout, and his tense relationship with the media, and the Giants have a messy decision on their hands.
There’s also the roster problem. Devers has pushed Bryce Eldridge into the DH role most days, which hurts Eldridge’s development and takes away some of the flexibility the Giants want from that spot.
And with San Francisco sitting as a lackluster club that needs a teardown, the logic for a move is obvious. The catch is the contract: Devers is still owed $199.5 million over the seven seasons after this one, which makes him a tough sell unless the Giants are willing to absorb a big chunk of the money.
That’s where the idea gets interesting. If the acquiring team only had to pay something like $15 million a year while the Giants covered the extra $13.5 million annually, the market would open up a lot more before the deadline. But any team in the mix would need to check a long list of boxes: in the playoff hunt, able to use a first baseman without blocking Devers, financially flexible enough to handle the deal for seven years, and not so close to a tax line that his $29.1MM AAV for luxury tax purposes becomes a problem.
The team that fits that description in this scenario is the Miami Marlins.
On the surface, it sounds absurd. The Marlins have never exactly been known for spending freely.
But they’re 50-42, they’d be in a Wild Card spot if the season ended today, and they have the second-lowest payroll in MLB, which also leaves them exposed to MLBPA frustration in collective bargaining if they keep running things that lean. They’re in a market that can use star power, and none of the players in their starting nine have even half as much service time as Devers.
There’s also a path to making the roster work. Kyle Stowers is handling a lot of first base for them now, but he can also play the corner outfield, and the DH spot is currently being used by one of the team’s three catchers, Liam Hicks. The two obvious issues are that Devers bats left-handed, and the Marlins already lean lefty, plus LoanDepot Park is another pitcher-friendly environment, though not to the same degree as Oracle.
If San Francisco did get serious about a Miami deal, it probably shouldn’t expect one of the Marlins’ top five prospects even after eating nearly half of Devers’ money. Still, there are names that could make sense.
Andrew Salas, the No. 10 prospect in the Marlins system by MLB Pipeline, is a switch-hitting 18-year-old with speed, strong plate discipline, and experience in the outfield and both middle infield spots. Nate Payne, a left-hander with solid breaking stuff and No. 4 starter upside, is another possibility.
With prospects that young, the idea is simple: collect as many as possible and hope a few turn into something real.
It’s only one trade idea among many, and it’s the kind of scenario that would surprise a lot of people if it ever got real. The Marlins may not be the favorite to land Devers, and the likeliest outcome is that he stays put in San Francisco. But as far as dark-horse deadline ideas go, this one has enough weird logic to at least make you look twice.
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