Cardinals’ perfect trade offer for Giants’ Rafael Devers

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Cardinals’ perfect trade offer for Giants’ Rafael Devers

Garrett Kerman, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Jun 16, 2026 ·

3 min read

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On the exact one-year anniversary of the blockbuster deal that sent Rafael Devers from Boston to San Francisco , the Giants are back in trade conversations, this time as willing sellers. What was supposed to be a franchise-changing acquisition has turned into a $211 million albatross, with Devers slashing .235 with a .709 OPS and posting a -0.9 WAR through the first half of the 2026 season. With San Francisco sitting at 29-43 and sinking deeper into irrelevance in the NL West, the phone lines are open.

On the other end of the spectrum, the St. Louis Cardinals enter Tuesday at 39-31, sitting 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and firmly in Wild Card position. They are a team that believes it is close, and Devers, for all his struggles, represents the kind of middle-of-the-order thunder that could push a fringe contender over the top if he rediscovers any of his three-time All-Star form.

A Miserable Giant, A Motivated Cardinal

The Giants have not been shy about their desire to move on. Last week, it was noted that San Francisco is "open to offers" on Devers, Willy Adames , and Matt Chapman . The catch, as CBS Sports noted, is Devers' near-unmovable contract, $211 million still owed through 2033, with declining in-zone contact rates and a ballooning strikeout rate giving most teams serious pause.

That's where the Cardinals offer a different kind of pitch. St. Louis is not rebuilding, they're chasing October. They can absorb portions of that salary more willingly than a rebuilding club, and GM John Mozeliak has historically been one of the craftiest negotiators in the sport when motivated. If the Giants are willing to eat $80-90 million of the remaining deal, Devers becomes a very different conversation for a contending Cardinals squad that ranks near the bottom of the NL in slugging percentage.

The Perfect Trade Offer

Here is what a clean, compelling deal could look like between St. Louis and San Francisco:

St. Louis Cardinals receive:

1B/DH Rafael Devers

San Francisco Giants receive:

RHP Tekoah Roby (No. 6 prospect)
OF Ryan Mitchell (No. 10 prospect)

For the Giants, this is a credible return for a player whose real-world value has cratered. Tekoah Roby, when healthy, is one of the most tantalizing pitching prospects in the Cardinals' system, a 6-foot-1 right-hander with a curveball graded 65 on the 20-80 scale and a 10.98 K/9 rate over his minor league career. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2025 and is not expected to return until the 2027 season, which makes him a "future value" chip, exactly the kind of piece a seller accepts.

Ryan Mitchell, 19, was the Cardinals' second-round pick in 2025 out of Tennessee, earning a $2.25 million signing bonus and carrying a 55 hit, 50 power, and 55 run scouting profile from Baseball America . He has six home runs and 15 stolen bases at Single-A Palm Beach in 2026, showing intriguing power-speed upside.

For the Cardinals, it is a calculated bet on a Devers bounce-back. He is turning 30 in October, owns a career .488 slugging percentage, and has averaged 33 home runs per year across his best seasons. Plugged into a Cardinals lineup that is scoring runs but lacking a true cleanup hitter, Devers could become the missing piece in a second-half push, especially if the NL Central race tightens down the stretch.

The deal requires financial creativity from both sides, but the fit is undeniable. St. Louis gets a dangerous left-handed bat with bounce-back potential. San Francisco gets a blue-chip arm to build around in 2027 and a toolsy outfield prospect, a far better haul than watching Devers strikeout his way through another irrelevant Giants season.

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