MLB rumors: Cubs among 5 other teams Red Sox talked Rafael Devers trade with before Giants deal

Prior to trading Rafael Devers to the Giants, the Red Sox discussed a potential trade with the Cubs and several other teams.

The Boston Red Sox shocked the MLB world last week when they sent Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster trade that materialized from seemingly out of nowhere. While the front office did a good job of keeping their trade negotiations under wraps, it sounds like the Giants weren't the only team they were negotiating with, as the Chicago Cubs were among several other teams in the running for Devers.

Tensions between Devers and the Red Sox had been boiling all season long, due in large part to his unhappiness with the team continually looking to change his position. Boston finally decided to cut bait with their superstar slugger, but not after discussing a deal with a couple other teams. San Francisco landed him, but the Cubs, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, and Atlanta Braves were also involved in discussions for Devers.

“The Red Sox say that they had conversations with the Mariners, Cubs, Padres, Blue Jays and Atlanta about Devers before dealing him to San Francisco,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported.

How Giants landed Rafael Devers from Red Sox over Cubs, other teams

The Red Sox could have prioritized bringing in top-tier prospects in exchange for Devers, but they had a different goal when it came to this deal. They wanted to get out of the remainder of Devers' 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension he signed back in 2023, and according to Giants owner Greg Johnson, his team's willingness to take on that deal is the main reason why the trade went down.

“If the Giants had not agreed to assume the $254.5 million remaining in Devers’ contract, Giants owner Greg Johnson says there would have been no trade,” Nightengale reported.

Even then, Boston still got a decent return for Devers, as Kyle Harrison and James Tibbs III both have a lot of upside in the eyes of several talent evaluators. In the end, though, money talks, and that was how the Giants managed to outbid the rest of their competition and bring Devers to town as they look to make a World Series push in 2025.