One year later, SF Giants are starting to reap rewards from Tyler Rogers trade

When a team undergoes a sell-off at the trade deadline — like the SF Giants have the last two seasons — the hope is that the returns from those trades will one day make an impact at the big-league level. While Marcelo Mayer, who came over from the Red Sox in exchange for Erik Miller, is expected to make his Giants debut over the next couple of weeks, most of the prospects netted in return for Luis Arraez, Robbie Ray, and Heliot Ramos will need at least a couple of years to work their way through the minor-league levels and eventually reach the big stage.

Last season, after losing 12 of their last 14 games leading up to the trade deadline, president of baseball operations Buster Posey decided to pull the plug and trade away multiple key parts of the roster, including longtime reliever Tyler Rogers. The Mets were willing to send two of their top prospects — Blade Tidwell and Drew Gilbert — along with reliever Jose Butto in exchange for two months of Rogers, one of the most reliable setup men in all of baseball over the last few years.

Now more than a year later, claiming that the Giants outright fleeced New York wouldn't be accurate. Rogers — who has since signed a three-year, $37 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays — gave the Mets everything they expected from him, as the submariner pitched to a 2.30 ERA over 28 outings. But it ultimately wasn't enough, as New York — just like San Francisco — ended up missing the playoffs. Meanwhile in the Bay, two of the three players the Giants acquired in the deal are currently competing for a spot on the 2027 roster, and the third one could come back as soon as this year after being sidelined since the first week of the season.

Gilbert and Tidwell are building compelling arguments for 2027

On Monday night at Oracle Park against Houston, Gilbert and Tidwell emerged as bright spots in yet another loss that sank the team to a season-high 21 games under .500. At this point, counting the number of losses doesn't matter anymore. It's become more about focusing solely on some parts or moments of the games that carry any sort of importance. In the outfield, Gilbert made a couple of dazzling plays with his glove while also homering for the fifth time this season. On the mound, Tidwell put together a second convincing outing, allowing just one run on four hits, issuing just one free pass, and striking out six Astros. The two former Vols are on a mission to carve out a role on next year's roster.

Both Gilbert and Tidwell enjoy a rare advantage: Two of their current coaches also coached them during their college years. Manager Tony Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson were members of the staff that led the University of Tennessee to its first National Championship in program history back in the summer of 2024. Vitello noted in his postgame presser that Tidwell has grown into a different pitcher since his first major-league stint with the Giants back in April.

"Blade's so different than when he was with us," he said to the media following the Giants' 70th loss of the season. "I think he's matured a lot as a pitcher and it's helped him become a true starter."

Tidwell mentioned in a recent podcast with Murph & Markus that "it's a surreal moment to be in the major leagues and playing for those guys again, and it does provide you with some comfort."

The 25-year-old has looked just that during his time as a starter: comfortable. He's now allowed just three runs across 10 2/3 innings since joining the rotation last week. Each of those three runs has come in the first inning: two in Texas last week and another one on Monday against the Astros. Over the other 8 2/3 innings, he's gone scoreless and given up just five combined hits, retiring 26 of the 32 hitters he's faced from the second inning onward across his two starts.

His arsenal is what has enabled him to thrive as a starter, a role he occupied during most of his time in the Mets' organization and with the River Cats recently. Among the six pitches he uses, the sweeper has been his go-to, most dominant offering, with hitters batting just .176 with a .402 OPS against it over his last two starts. It's also been his most-used pitch (35.7% usage rate) and has generated a ton of swing and misses (12 on 22 swings against Houston and a 40.8% whiff rate overall this season). He still needs to work on his fastball command, and the sample size is still very limited — only 10 2/3 innings across two starts — but the raw stuff and his attitude on the mound are promising for "the Big Skittle" — a nickname his manager gave him for "being hard on the outside but softer on the inside than people realize."

Drew Gilbert has probably played more than a player of his caliber in his first full season in the majors should, as multiple injuries to Harrison Bader have propelled him into an everyday center fielder. The main takeaway from that large sample size is that he's not ready to occupy that role just yet. He's been fine against right-handed pitching, hitting .268 with a .773 OPS, and his defense on the grass has been solid all year, but his mighty struggles against southpaws are likely to relegate him to a fourth outfielder or platoon kind of role. He's collected just two hits in 36 at-bats against lefties — a .056 average that is well below the Mendoza line.

Thanks to a 9.1% walk rate and a 15.9% strikeout rate, he's managed to get on base at a consistent rate, but the power is still missing, though he's tripled and homered over his last two games. Still, Gilbert doesn't have to turn into an All-Star for the front office to feel good about the trade. A back-end starter, a fourth outfielder, and potentially a piece of the bullpen sound like a strong return, even for a reliever of Rogers' caliber.

Speaking of that potential member of the bullpen, Butto has finally begun throwing bullpen sessions after undergoing a couple of surgeries back in April to remove a blood clot in his right arm. He pitched just 20 innings last season for the Giants and only two this year before going on the injured list. Vitello voiced optimism during his pregame discussions with reporters that Butto could make a comeback in September after the 28-year-old apparently looked pretty sharp during his last throwing session.

The Giants haven't hit the jackpot, at least not yet. But they're already starting to reap the benefits from selling high on players — as talented or loved as they can be. A few years will have to go by before a true assessment of the value gained from the deal can be made. For a one-year anniversary, it's pretty solid.

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