LOS ANGELES -- Rafael Devers has been one of the biggest stories in baseball since the spring, but not because of his .900 OPS and 15 homers. Devers' path from everyday third baseman to everyday designated hitter has been a complex one, magnified by the fact that he plays in Boston.
On Monday, Devers will fly to San Francisco, where he'll find himself playing with a third baseman even more talented defensively than Alex Bregman. Matt Chapman has the position locked down in San Francisco for years to come, and the Giants weren't necessarily aching at DH, with Wilmer Flores turning in a shockingly productive first half.
That all leaves some questions as the dust settles on a blockbuster deal completed Sunday, and for now, the Giants are waiting to answer them. Both president of baseball operations Buster Posey and manager Bob Melvin said they want to wait until they speak with Devers before giving details about where he might play as a Giant.
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SIGN UP HERE "I think that's a conversation that we're going to have to have with him," Posey told beat writers Sunday night. "As much as anything, as I've told you guys, I want to do my best to be upfront and transparent with these guys and make sure we're on the same page. That's a conversation for myself, Zack (Minasian) and Bob to have with him."
Devers made 951 appearances at third base for the Red Sox coming into this season, but the Red Sox chased defensive upgrades all winter and ultimately signed Bregman. Devers wasn't thrilled about that move making him the DH, and when Triston Casas got hurt and management asked Devers to play first base, he said he wanted to remain a DH. It became such a story in Boston that ownership reportedly met with him.
In San Francisco, it'll be more cut and dry long term. Chapman is the third baseman and Flores is a free agent at the end of the year, and the Giants can turn that spot over to Devers through 2033 -- the end of his deal -- if they want to. They also could revisit first base, a position that was such a black hole that Posey signed former Red Sox teammate Dominic Smith a couple of weeks ago, although Bryce Eldridge is preparing to play there long-term.
The situation is slightly complicated right now by the fact that Chapman will miss most of the rest of the first half with a sprained hand, and backup Casey Schmitt -- who has played well -- came out of Sunday's loss with a contusion on his ankle. X-rays were negative, but Schmitt twice fouled balls off his left leg in the Dodgers series.
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Devers hasn't played third all year, but he has got more experience there than any currently healthy Giant. He has never played first base as a professional, so if Devers does not fill in at third initially, it seems likely that he's the DH.
The Giants did not want to push Flores physically by having him play first too often, but everything changed Sunday. They don't need to put as much on Flores' plate over the next four months, and if Devers is the everyday DH, they could play both Flores and Smith at first.
That's all to be determined, but Posey said he wasn't turned off at all by all of the stories that came out of Boston earlier this year. For the Giants, that just allowed them to acquire a superstar hitter. Posey said he spoke to Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow about all that was being said publicly.
"(Breslow said) that some of the stuff that has been in the media was a bit unfortunate," Posey said. "The reports that I've gotten from other people across the industry are that Raffy is a great teammate, loves to play the game, and I'm excited to be able to have those conversations with him and figure out how he's going to best fit into our lineup, defensively and offensively."
Both Smith -- a former teammate in Boston -- and Willy Adames -- a friend for the last decade -- said Devers will have no issues fitting in with the Giants and in the clubhouse. They described him as hard-working and someone who loves to play the game. As a DH, Devers leads the majors in games played.
"He's a guy you plug in there every day," Logan Webb said. "I don't know where he's going to hit but I don't think it really matters. The guy is a stud, plain and simple."