Giants GM Zack Minasian excited for Rafael Devers' first full season with team originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
At this time last year, Rafael Devers was entering spring training with the Boston Red Sox ahead of his ninth major league season.
This year, Devers’ spring training is underway with the Giants, putting him into position to spend the entire season with the team.
General manager Zack Minasian told KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” that Devers being able to start the season with the team is “huge.”
“We have a phrase we use in the office – he’s an aircraft carrier,” Minasian said Thursday. “He can carry your offense for a series at a time, for a week at a time, for a month at a time. I hope the length of our offense can help him to where he doesn’t have to carry the load, and I think we have a lot of good offensive players on this group.
“But there’s no doubt; he’s the big bat in the middle of the lineup – something that we’ve been seeking for quite a while.”
Although Devers played 90 games for San Francisco last year, the potential of having a bat of his caliber in the lineup for all 162 games of 2026 is alluring for the Giants.
In his 90 games played for the Giants, Devers hit a .236 batting average, considerably lower than his .276 career average. Minasian hopes that the stability that comes with spending the entire season in one place will provide Devers with a more comfortable situation.
“I think our fans were extremely supportive of him; I think that meant a lot to him,” Minasian noted. “His teammates love him and us in the front office are certainly happy that he’s here.”
Devers slotted into the DH spot in the lineup for most of his starts last season, as expected. But in 2026, there’s an expectation that he will get a lot more action starting at first base this season.
Minasian said that Devers arrived at spring training ahead of the positional players’ report date to do extra fielding work with assistant coach Ron Washington. Minasian is optimistic about what he has seen from Devers at first base so far.
“I think Rafi has gotten better — over the course of last season and watching him in spring, I think he looks great…” Minasian said. “… I think he’s light on his feet. He’s not bashful throwing to bases.
“He has brought a great energy level, a huge smile in the clubhouse. And I think he’s excited to go out there and play first base. I think we’re going to see that translate to a really good defender out there.”
Devers played first base for the first time in his MLB career last season with the Giants. It reportedly was a point of contention between him and the Red Sox during his time there, but there seems to be no issues with his new team heading into 2026.
But he won’t have to shoulder the load there, as new Giant Luis Arráez has 244 career starts at the position.
Hopefully for the Giants, he won’t have to shoulder the offensive load either. But, Minasian has little doubt that he has the ability to do so if needed.