Cardinals’ perfect trade offer for Giants’ Rafael Devers

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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