The baseball world was stunned late Sunday night, as the Boston Red Sox sent superstar designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. For the San Diego Padres, they now have one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball joining their division.
It was a tough deal for the Padres to see happen, not just because of their division rival landing a great player, but because the Padres were one of the teams in on Devers as well.
According to a report from Sean McAdam of Masslive.com, four other teams inquired about Devers' availability from the Red Sox. The Padres were one of those teams.
"Among the teams known to have inquired about Devers' availability were the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres," McAdam wrote. "And Toronto Blue Jays, though those teams were not as motivated as the Giants."
San Diego has a huge need in left field, but they could've landed Devers and had him be their designated hitter or first baseman. But, with Devers' trade stemming from his refusal to try first base, his most likely spot would've been at designated hitter for the Padres.
The trade that stunned the baseball world was something the Padres were involved in. However, with the uncertainty of how much it'd cost to acquire someone like Devers, and how they would've likely had to absorb the entire contract like the Giants, it didn't seem like a strong possibility.
But the concept of adding Devers is a great sign that the Padres are willing to spend both money and assets in acquiring players to contend in 2025. Sitting three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres are far from out of the postseason hunt. They will be contending for a spot in the postseason and atop the NL West.
A trade for Devers would've been a great move for the Padres, but it would've been a challenge to work around the money and the players given up.
McAdam's report named the Padres as one of the teams that reached out about Devers, but between the money and players they'd have to give up, the Padres were reportedly not as involved as the Giants were.