SF Giants: Revisiting the Trevor Rosenthal trade with the Brewers

The last time hard-throwing reliever Trevor Rosenthal appeared in a regular season game, he was striking out SF Giants outfielder Austin Slater on a questionable called third strike at the end of the 2020 season.

The eight-year veteran went on to sign deals with the Oakland A's (one year, $11 million) for 2021 and the Giants (one year, $4.5 million) for 2022 but did not throw an official pitch for either club. He was shipped to the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline in exchange for outfield prospect Tristan Peters.

SF Giants: Revisiting the Trevor Rosenthal trade with the Brewers

Is it too soon to review a trade that took place earlier this month? Probably, but Rosenthal will likely miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a lat injury during a rehab appearance.

When the Giants signed him in July, he was immediately placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. They knew that Rosenthal would not be ready right away, and they were okay with waiting on him so that he could help them down the stretch.

That never came to fruition as the Giants fell further out of playoff contention and he was shipped to the Brewers with the same goal in mind.

The Giants received an outfield prospect in Tristan Peters. Peters was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft out of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. He posted a solid .355/.463/.548 line with more walks (46) than strikeouts (28) in three college seasons.

He appeared briefly with the Brewers' Rookie Ball affiliate last season where he posted a .737 OPS in 55 plate appearances. Peters excelled in his first full season, slashing .306/.386/.485 (141 wRC+) with seven home runs, 51 RBI, and 61 runs in 383 plate High-A appearances.

The 22-year-old prospect was promoted to Double-A on the day of the trade deadline, but the Brewers shipped him to San Francisco instead. The Giants kept him in Double-A where he has posted a .564 OPS in 84 plate appearances with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Nevertheless, reaching Double-A in your first pro season is a pretty nice accomplishment. It may take a couple of years for the Giants to figure out what they have in Peters, but acquiring him in exchange for a reliever who may not throw a pitch in 2022 was a pretty shrewd move.