The end of an era.
The San Francisco Giants are shifting gears and now selling. According to a report by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Giants are trading right-handed setup reliever Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets for prospects Blade Tidwell, Drew Gilbert, and veteran Jose Buttó (return first reported by Roger Cormier). The Giants had reportedly begun shifting to fielding offers for their relievers after initially signaling a desire to buy. Their recent struggles made selling seem far more plausible, and this return makes it easy to see why.
Rogers was one of the longest tenured Giants, having been drafted in 2013 and debuting in 2019. While it seemed more likely that his teammate Camilo Doval would be dealt, Rogers will be a free agent at the end of the season. He has once again been one of the most consistent setup relievers in the league, and leads the Majors in appearances (49) with 37 strikeouts, just four walks, and a 1.47 ERA (2.62 FIP) in 49 innings pitched.
Given that Rogers is a rental, the Giants ability to acquire a trio of notable players is an impressive return package. Tidwell and Gilbert are both big name prospects with plenty of name recognition and pedigree, although both have seen their stocks fall recently. Buttó, on the other hand, is already a solid middle reliever under team control for multiple seasons.
Gilbert, a former first-round pick in 2022 (No. 28 overall) is an athletic and toolsy outfielder who has hit a bit of a performance wall at Triple-A. The soon to be 25-year old has hit 17 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs en route to a .246/.349/.435 triple-slash with 40 walks and 58 strikeouts in 356 plate appearances so far this season.
Tidwell, a former second-round pick in 2022, made his MLB debut this season with the Mets, but struggled mightily in four appearances, surrendering 15 runs in 15 innings. At Triple-A, however, he has a 4.10 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 32 walks in 79 innings (17 games).
Buttó has made 34 appearances this season, recording a 3.64 ERA (3.37 FIP) with 41 strikeouts and 22 walks across 47 innings pitched. The 27-year old righty has a career 3.45 ERA and still has five seasons of team control after this year.