Rafael Devers' huge second half earns him Silver Slugger finalist nod (and reminds Giants why they can't trade him)

If someone had said in April that SF Giants slugger Rafael Devers would have been a Silver Slugger finalist, they probably would’ve sounded crazy. Well, they would have been right since Devers overcame his awful start and was one of the best hitters in the game in the second half of the season which has earned him a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award finalist nod which was announced in an exclusive partnership between Louisville Slugger and FanSided.

He is the only Giant who was nominated for the award this season which does not come as a shock given the team’s 65-97 record. Not many other lineup fixtures had great seasons and many of them got hurt or traded so Devers was pretty clearly their only shot at a nomination.

Devers was nominated as a first baseman alongside Jake Bauers of the Milwaukee Brewers, Alec Burleson of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves. The Silver Slugger award is meant to reward the best offensive player at each position in both the NL and AL and is voted upon by MLB managers and coaches.

The left-handed slugger had a great season, hitting .258/.340/.525 with 37 homers and 98 runs batted in. Devers most likely would have reached 40 home runs and 100 RBI had he not been shut down in September due to a core muscle injury which required surgery, but that was the right decision for his health.

Now, Devers faces the stiffest competition from Olson and Burleson who both had really good years, as did Bauers but to a slightly lesser extent, but if Devers were to win he would be San Francisco’s first Silver Slugger winner since Buster Posey back in 2021.

Giants would be foolish to trade Rafael Devers after Silver Slugger nomination

Whether he wins or doesn’t, his nomination serves as a reminder why the Giants should not trade him this offseason. There’s been no official reporting suggesting that they will, but there has been speculation from the likes of Buster Olney and Jim Bowden that they could trade him if the right offer came along.

That would be foolish because Devers is the best hitter the Giants have had in a really long time. While he struggled in April and had a bad episode when he rejected a pinch runner, he proved that when he is on he can absolutely carry an offense on his own.

Sluggers like that don’t come around all that often and that’s why Posey made that huge trade for him in 2025 with the Boston Red Sox. Now the Giants have to make sure their pitching is good enough to support a bat like Devers in the lineup because no matter how good he is, he can’t carry the lineup every night and we know he’s a slow starter who is prone to streakiness.

If 2027 ends up being a lot like 2026 then a trade becomes much more likely, but for now the Giants really shouldn’t be trading away their lone Silver Slugger nominee when they haven’t had a bat like him since Barry Bonds. 

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