Where will Rafael Devers play for the SF Giants? The trade has impacts across their infield

LOS ANGELES The Giants have already done the hard part acquiring three-time All-Star Rafael Devers in a shocking blockbuster bargain They are unquestionably a better group now than they were Sunday morning Now they ve got particular specifics to work out Chief among them Where will Devers play President of baseball operations Buster Posey didn t have an immediate answer to that question on Sunday following the Giants - loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Before making a decision the Giants brass will meet with Devers in person to discuss his best fit I think that s a conversation that we re going to have to have with him Posey recounted beat writers Sunday night 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 who has a career OPS arrives in San Francisco following something of a falling out with the Red Sox When Boston signed Alex Bregman another third baseman to a three-year million contract in February Devers commented he wouldn t move off third base Devers later relented and transitioned to the designated hitter role Three months later Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury Despite the opening Devers declined the crew s request for him to play first base a position he has never played in the majors or minors On Sunday Posey shared that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reported him selected of the stuff that was in the media was a bit unfortunate Posey added he had heard from others that Devers is a great teammate who loves to play the battle Willy Adames and Dominic Smith praised Devers character as well He s a great guy Adames commented Obviously there has been various miscommunication there From what I know about him he wants people to communicate with him and be honest I feel like here with Buster that s all we ve got Buster is a super honest guy He s going to be straight up and Devers is going to love that He s going to feel relaxed here For the time being the Giants may not have to worry about finding Devers a position Matt Chapman a five-time Gold Glover is at this time on the -day injured list due to inflammation in his right hand and won t begin rehab until later this week Casey Schmitt has done well as Chapman s replacement but he fouled a ball off his left ankle on Sunday and was diagnosed with a contusion If Chapman and Schmitt are both out Devers stands to slide right in Devers was exclusively used as a designated hitter this season in Boston but has played games at third in the majors He rates out as a below-average defender worth - defensive runs saved and - outs above average in his career but he knows the position Alternatively the Giants could be proactive about Devers future before Chapman returns If Schmitt doesn t need to go to the injured list the Giants could keep Schmitt the better defender at third put Devers in the DH role and have Wilmer Flores split time with Dominic Smith at first base The Giants have kept Flores who leads the crew with RBIs mostly at DH to keep him healthy after he underwent a season-ending Tenex procedure last year on his right knee After signing Smith earlier this month San Francisco could ensure Flores workload doesn t get too high But given Flores importance to this offense Flores OPS with runners in scoring position leads the unit would the Giants want to limit his opportunities There s also the option that Devers refused in Boston play first base Perhaps Devers playing on a new organization where he no longer has seniority would be more willing to transition to a new position His stance could very well remain the same Once Chapman returns the Giants will have no choice but to make a choice Designated hitter Or first base There s another wrinkle to figure out when Chapman comes back second base Schmitt has run with the starting opportunity since Chapman landed on the injured list going -for- with three homers and RBIs This past weekend Schmitt became the first Giant in franchise history to hit grand slams in back-to-back games though one of those was hit against Dodgers position player Enrique Hern ndez The sample size is small but if Schmitt continues playing well in Chapman s absence he could take over second base in place of Tyler Fitzgerald Fitzgerald has struggled at the plate since returning from the injured list in mid-May Over games Fitzgerald has an abysmal slash line of with no home runs The Giants second base situation is not front of mind but it is an undeniable subplot as a impact of the Devers deal There s another question that will have to be answered in due time How does the acquisition of Devers affect the trajectory of top prospect Bryce Eldridge The Giants promoted Eldridge from Double-A Richmond to Triple-A Sacramento earlier this month and Posey seemed open to the idea of Eldridge making his debut this season It was a change of tone compared to MLB s Winter Meetings in December when Posey downplayed the possibility In acquiring Devers San Francisco added an impact bat without calling up its top prospect Eldridge has struggled out of the gate with Sacramento posting a OPS over games Devers presence allows the Giants to be more person with Eldridge Related Articles Only a bean counter would worry about the money SF Giants are paying Rafael Devers SF Giants set Verlander return date from injured list Kurtenbach Buster Posey s big Rafael Devers arrangement is a message the SF Giants are done playing second fiddle Following shocking Rafael Devers contract SF Giants drop finale to Dodgers SF Giants acquire All-Star slugger Devers for pitchers Hicks Harrison and prospects Come next season though the Giants will have to figure out that part of this arrangement Devers is signed through the end of the season As of now the Giants do not have a clear starting first baseman for next year and Flores contract expires this offseason Will it be Eldridge who is still learning the position and has had his struggles defensively Will it be Devers who has never played the position Perhaps a combination of both There aren t easy answers to this laundry list of questions But the questions that the Giants have to answer now are far different than those they pondered before they arrived in Los Angeles last week And there s no question that with Devers in tow San Francisco has decisively acquired an elite bat that it has long lacked This fits us perfectly commented manager Bob Melvin on Sunday It s a power left-handed bat a guy that can go the other way and hit for power in our ballpark It s just tailor-made for us Kudos to the front office to swing this