Dodgers have chance to burn Giants, Red Sox with one trade after prospect's hot start

How upset do you think the San Francisco Giants were at this summer's trade deadline to learn, a month and a half after they bit the bullet, took on $250 million of Rafael Devers' contract, and agreed to ship one of their top prospects about as far out of town as possible, that he was heading back to the west coast and donning the colors of their chief rival? Dodgers strike again, folks!

The Red Sox's pursuit in the Devers trade was very clear: 1) get some sucker to absorb the full salary and 2) get pitching help, if at all possible. Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks fit that bill, with Harrison holding more immediate upside. Boston also made out well by nabbing James Tibbs III, an outfield prospect who'd ... well, fit pretty directly into Boston's ongoing outfield logjam. Much like when the Sox drafted Braden Montgomery last summer, Tibbs III smelled like trade bait from the start.

Unfortunately for the Sox, though, it seems the rest of the world was highly aware of that reality, too. Montgomery was among the key pieces of the blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade; all Tibbs III got them was two months (plus the postseason) of Dustin May and his 4.93 ERA.

May remains a puzzle, and one it'll be tough to solve in a sprint at that. Tibbs III? Who knows what his future holds, but he's already two bombs deep into his Dodgers career (and unequivocally, this has got to sting the Giants more than the BoSox).

New Dodgers prospect James Tibbs III is already making the Dustin May trade - and Rafael Devers trade! - look hilarious

May's rotation status in LA was "murky" after his series-ending loss at Fenway Park as a member of the Dodgers. It was cleared up mere days later by a trade back to that very ballpark - but that should give you an idea of what the Dodgers thought they were "losing" in this deal.

Meanwhile, Tibbs III, selected 13th overall by the Giants last summer, has two bombs and a .996 OPS in his first five games with the Tulsa Drillers. That gives him 15 on the year with a .773 OPS, which looks lower than it should because of his 30 games of one-homer baseball in the Red Sox organization (.586 OPS with Portland).

So ... once again ... the Giants thought they were sacrificing outfield talent for Devers and a crack at the World Series, and have since received 0.0 fWAR from the third baseman and the 27th-best team average in the game. They sent one of their prize prospects far, far away, only to see him return to wreak havoc in their own division after Boston depressed his value in a stunningly short span of time. Everything's coming up Tibbs III and the Dodgers - sorry, Buster. You tried. Maybe a little too hard.