Did the expectations that came with Devers trade hurt the SF Giants?

Ever since the SF Giants traded for star slugger Rafael Devers, things have gone south. The offense has been terrible and the team is sliding in the standings. Is it possible that the expectations that came with the trade hurt the Giants?

The Giants have a record of 4-10 since acquiring Devers. They just got swept by the Miami Marlins and lost two of three games to the Chicago White Sox, both last-place teams. Then they lost another brutal game to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night. Even Giants broadcasters are going off on the team. What the heck is going on?

Did Devers trade negatively impact SF Giants team chemistry?

Devers is not solely to blame for the team's struggles. His slash line of .200/.310/.360 with two home runs and five runs batted in since joining San Francisco has left a lot to be desired, and his 0-4 with four strikeouts against Arizona last night was brutal, but the offense as a whole has been anemic.

The offense was bad before Devers came which is why president of baseball operations Buster Posey felt the need to make that big trade. While it certainly provided excitement to the fanbase and was a strong endorsement from the front office, did it throw something off for the Giants?

This is not to suggest that Devers is some sort of clubhouse cancer or anything like that. By all accounts, he has been nothing but a team player since joining the Giants as evidenced by his willingness to play first base for the team.

When asked about the struggles Devers has endured recently, manager Bob Melvin said, "The swing is there, good spirits, we know he's going to go on a hot streak, he's fit in very well here, he enjoys being here."

Melvin also noted how difficult it is for a player to come across the country like Devers did from Boston and try to integrate themselves with a new team.

While Devers may be fitting in good with the team, it is unquestionable that once he became a Giant the expectations for the team were recalibrated. The Giants went from being a sort of scrappy underdog performing above expectations to being a team that would be bitterly disappointed if they do not make the playoffs.

It feels like since the trade, everyone on the team is pressing more. The team has also been dealing with injuries to Matt Chapman and Casey Schmitt, two guys who were swinging hot bats when they went down, so other guys may be trying to force the issue in trying to make up for their absence.

The Giants need to just calm down and get back to the basics. They are still a pitching-first team that needs to limit runs and play sound defense if they want to be successful. Even with Devers they are not going to consistently out-slug teams.

While expectations are higher now, the Giants are still in a tough division going against the Death Star down south. They need to stop playing tight and need to get back to the basics.