3 unexpected ways the Cubs are impacted by the stunning Rafael Devers trade

Well, can't say I had that on the Father's Day bingo card. Grilling - check. Mowing the grass - check. Relaxing in the yard with the family - check. Heck, even a Cubs' walk-off win - check. But a Rafael Devers blockbuster? Didn't have that one.

The Boston Red Sox shocked the baseball world on Sunday, trading their three-time All-Star and face of the franchise to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a package of prospects and hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks. Most importantly - and surprisingly - Boston didn't have to include any money or prospects to unload the remaining eight years and approximately $250 million left on his deal.

So why are we talking about this trade on a site dedicated to the Cubs? Because it's not hard to draw some conclusions as to how this move could impact Chicago not only in the weeks to come, leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, but beyond 2025.

The road to a National League pennant just got even tougher for the Cubs

If you're pushing your chips in on a bat-first player who has nearly a decade and a quarter-billion dollars left on his contract, you're probably not stopping there. History tells us by the back of that deal, things may not look nearly as rosy as they do now, so I wouldn't expect president of baseball operations Buster Posey to stop now.

Offense has been the Giants' biggest need and Devers certainly checks that box - and, at least as things currently stand, the Cubs aren't looking at adding bats this summer. But if there was any doubt as to the scope with which San Francisco has its eyes on October, the acquisition of Devers has certainly addressed it.

So not only are the Cubs going to have to get through the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers if they want their second pennant inside a decade, but we can firmly place the Giants in the mix at the top of the league, alongside the likes of Chicago, the Mets, Phillies and Padres.

The list of potential Kyle Tucker suitors has shifted, with the Red Sox joining the mix

With Devers out of Boston, the prospect logjam looks a bit clearer, with clear paths to playing time for Roman Anthony, Marcelo Meyer and Kristian Campbell. Former Cubs exec and Red Sox president of baseball ops Craig Breslow could let the kids play, and I imagine that's the plan for the rest of the 2025 season. But he could also go out this winter and add a major piece in the form of Kyle Tucker.

Tucker has been the epitome of elite consistency for pretty much his entire career and this year, Cubs fans have enjoyed a true superstar presence in the middle of the order for the first time since the 2021 trade deadline sell-off that saw Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant dealt.

Given the Giants' dire need of power (they haven't had a guy hit 30 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds retired) and their repeated shortcomings at the top of the free agent market, I thought San Francisco would surely be in play for Tucker this winter - and they still might. But with Devers' contract off the books, now I'm wondering if Breslow has his eyes on reuniting Tucker with former teammate Alex Bregman in Boston.

The bar is raised for Jed Hoyer ahead of this summer's trade deadline

Well, it's safe to say Jed Hoyer isn't the least popular front office executive in the league. God help Craig Breslow. Red Sox fans haven't even gotten over the Mookie Betts trade or losing Xander Bogaerts in free agency - and now Devers is gone, too.

But tying this back to the first point: a major player in the National League just upped the ante in a big way, only raising the pressure on Hoyer and the Cubs' front office to deliver the top-shelf arms this team so desperately needs.

Chicago can't possibly go into the postseason leaning on the likes of Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon. They need another big arm in that mix to go from division leader to true pennant threat and, if they don't it could be the Giants, not the Cubs, vying for a berth in this year's Fall Classic.