Latest report confirms Mariners missed their shot on Rafael Devers blockbuster trade

It has been more than a week since the Boston Red Sox dropped a bombshell that they had traded away Rafael Devers, a franchise cornerstone and final piece of the 2018 World Series roster. It was a shocking deal that few front offices foresaw. Not only did the Red Sox, a team currently in postseason contention, trade away one of the best hitters in baseball, the return package from the San Francisco Giants was underwhelming to say the least.

Largely labeled a salary dump that offloaded Devers' entire 10-year, $313.5 million contract onto San Francisco, the Red Sox received the following in return for a player with a 144 wRC+ and 2.1 fWAR this season:

• RHP Jordan Hicks
• LHP Kyle Harrison
• OF James Tibbs III (No. 4 SFG prospect)
• RHP Jose Bello

Financial terms aside, the player package was pretty affordable and could've easily been topped by an organization with more minor league talent. In a recent roundup of news, Bob Nightengale of USA Today confirmed as much by reporting that the Red Sox had shopped Devers to several other organizations, including the Mariners.

The Mariners had a shot at Rafael Devers and missed it

Seattle getting their hands on the third-most productive designated hitter in baseball this season would be nothing short of a major boost, especially given how poor the production out of that spot in the lineup has been as of late.

The combined OPS for all Mariners designated hitters this season is .698, 20th in MLB, but that also takes into account Jorge Polanco's hot start and 17 games out of Cal Raleigh, who only seems to be getting hotter.

It would have been more ideal for the Mariners and Devers if he had come to Seattle and returned to playing third base, the position that called so strongly to him that it created the original rift between him and the Red Sox after the team ceded the role to Alex Bregman. Seattle's own Ben Williamson has been a good glove at the hot corner, but his 73 wRC+ leaves plenty to be desired offensively and it doesn't seem to be turning around anytime soon.

The Mariners also had an excess of minor league talent to sweeten the deal. The Giants, whose farm system was ranked 28th prior to the start of the season, have peanuts to offer in comparison to Seattle's bumper crop of talent ready to crack into the big leagues.

Unfortunately, the Mariners front office was simply too frugal to be willing to take on a salary north of $30 million for the next nine years, especially for a player who'd eventually be relegated to a designated hitter role. Perhaps a deal could have been struck to move some of the pricier contracts on the payroll such as Luis Castillo, a trade piece that had been linked to the Red Sox in the offseason, but it still would've created an annual budget crunch.

Ultimately, the team might not even need Devers to succeed. Over the past 30 days, Seattle's .764 OPS is the fifth-best offense in MLB and they currently occupy the third AL Wild Card spot. Could it have been fun to have a player who has averaged a .938 OPS over his career 96 plate appearances at T-Mobile Park? Sure, but with his price tag, it simply wasn't ever really in the cards.