The Giants’ acquisition of Rafael Devers is being met with acclaim, even if some fans and media are overly concerned with how they spend their money.

Here’s a scoop — the Giants can afford it. Even better, vice president of baseball operations Buster Posey is more than willing to spend it. Being fiscally responsible means taking a back seat to putting the best possible product on the field and it’s a welcome sight.

Cool and analytical as a driving force behind three World Series championships, Posey as an executive is willing to take risks and live with the result.

That much became clear when Posey recently told the San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami on a podcast he loved the much-maligned trade engineered by G.M. Brian Sabean that sent pitcher Zack Wheeler to the New York Mets for slugging outfielder Carlos Beltran in late July of 2011.

Wheeler then looked a lot like Kyle Harrison does now. A promising prospect who had yet to show the kind of consistency to contribute to a team in a “win now” mode after winning the World Series in 2010. Wheeler eventually did develop into one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, first with the Mets and now with Philadelphia.

Beltran injured his hand, spent some time on the injured list and played in 44 games, hitting .323 with seven homers and 18 RBIs. He was productive but it didn’t put the Giants over the top. He ended up being a half-season rental, signing with the Cardinals after the season. Wheeler should make his third National League All-Star game in July.

“I just think it was such a bold move by Sabes, bringing in Carlos Beltran, one of the great hitters in the game,” Posey said. “It was a signal to the group that he felt like we were in position to go out and win again.”

There’s an inclination among bean counters to be overly concern of what a team spends. It’s too much. It’s too little.

But here’s the truth. An athlete is worth whatever he (or she) can get someone to pay. And it’s up to the team to play the game of fitting it in a puzzle as it pertains to budget, salary caps and luxury taxes.

It’s a wasted exercise to wonder why the 49ers overpaid or underpaid to extend the contract of quarterback Brock Purdy to the tune of a maximum of $265 million over five years. Both sides agreed. He’s your quarterback. End of story.

It makes little sense to bag on the Warriors because they traded for 35-year-old Jimmy Butler to join forces with 37-year-old Stephen Curry and 35-year-old Draymond Green and gave him a two-year, $121 million extension with the knowledge that he’s burned a bridge or three as an NBA player.

The Warriors saw no sign of that Butler, who saved the season in terms of making the playoffs and even winning a round against Houston.

Rafael Devers leaves the field after grounding out against the Giants at Oracle Park in 2023. Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

And there’s no guarantee it will be all hearts and flowers with Devers after he balked at moving positions following the signing of Alex Bregman to play third base. The Giants have a third baseman in Matt Chapman. Maybe Devers will feel differently about playing first base with the Giants, but there’s also Wilmer Flores and Dominic Smith to consider.

That’s for manager Bob Melvin to figure out. One way or the other, Devers becomes the big bat in the heart of the order.

In other words, the Giants are spending $254 million over eight years for a designated hitter, albeit one of the top left-handed bats in baseball.

So what?

Why would anyone be worried about how much the Giants spend? In March, Forbes Magazine put the Giants value at $4 billion.

The club has invested in the area surrounding Oracle Park and sold a stake of the team to a private equity firm. This isn’t some cheapskate John Fisher operation, and the whole idea of bringing in Posey predecessor Farhan Zaidi to turn nickels into dimes never made much sense.

Posey has never been an executive before but he spent time on the ownership board and helped broker a deal with Chapman. He opened the checkbook for shortstop Willy Adames (seven years, $182 million) and so far it’s been a struggle even with Adames picking up the pace of late.

If it doesn’t work out with Devers, the Giants can afford it. If it doesn’t work with Adames, they can afford it. They’ve got a left-handed pitcher in Carson Whisenhunt in Sacramento who may be better than Harrison, whom the Red Sox immediately dispatched to Triple-A Pawtucket.

So yes, it’s a gamble by Posey, but it’s a good one. If the deals don’t work out, then maybe ownership will tighten up the purse strings. At least he tried.

But there has been some wisdom in the way Posey has operated as well. If he had listened to the fan base in the offseason, the Giants would have brought back Blake Snell (five years, $182 million to the Dodgers) and/or signed Corbin Burnes (six years $210 million to Arizona).

With the durable Logan Webb as the anchor of the rotation, signing Justin Verlander for one year and $15 million was a better gamble. Verlander is scheduled to return to the rotation on Wednesday after recovering from a nerve irritation in his right pectoral.

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Snell has appeared in two games for the Dodgers and has shoulder inflammation. Burnes will undergo Tommy John surgery and won’t be back until late in the 2026 season. Posey reportedly never made a serious offer to either player.

As good as Snell was once he got on track last season, you wonder if bypassing his last start to save himself for free agency rubbed Posey, a former catcher, the wrong way. That and his penchant for running up huge pitch counts and struggling to get past the sixth inning.

As was the case with Beltran, there’s no guarantee things will go the way the Giants expect. But don’t worry about their money because they’re not worried about yours.