Giants get Mets' Nos. 10 and 12 prospects in Rogers trade

SAN FRANCISCO -- Having lost 12 of their past 14 games to sink below .500 for the first time this season, the Giants suddenly appear to be pivoting to sell mode.

The Giants traded veteran right-hander Tyler Rogers to the Mets in exchange for right-hander José Buttó, right-hander Blade Tidwell (the Mets' No. 10 prospect) and outfielder Drew Gilbert (No. 12 prospect) one day before the July 31 Trade Deadline.

News of the deal first broke during San Francisco’s 2-1 loss to the Pirates in 10 innings at Oracle Park, which sealed an 0-6 homestand and dropped the club six games behind the Padres for the third National League Wild Card spot.

TRADE DETAILS
Giants receive: RHP José Buttó, RHP prospect Blade Tidwell, OF prospect Drew Gilbert
Mets receive: RHP Tyler Rogers

“Ty is one of my best friends in baseball,” said right-hander Logan Webb, who snapped out of his recent funk by striking out 11 over 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball on Wednesday. “It sucks we’re losing a guy like that, but at the end of the day, it’s what happens. … I don’t blame [president of baseball operations] Buster [Posey] for doing something like that.”

The question now is whether Rogers will be the lone subtraction or the beginning of a larger sell-off for the Giants (54-55), who have gone an MLB-worst 13-24 since acquiring three-time All-Star Rafael Devers in a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox on June 15.

Given the high demand for back-end relievers, San Francisco could also entertain offers for closer Camilo Doval, who worked a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday to lower his ERA to 3.09 on the season. Other pending free agents like outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, infielder Wilmer Flores and veteran right-hander Justin Verlander could also generate trade interest if the Giants want to begin shifting their attention toward the future.

“We haven’t given Buster and the front office any reason to add,” third baseman Matt Chapman said. “We kind of did this to ourselves. It sucks. Obviously, you can tell that everybody is pretty upset. That’s not how we saw this thing going.

“I don’t know what to expect, but when you trade one of your best arms in the bullpen, I think that kind of shows where we’re heading.”

Known for his unique submarine delivery, the 34-year-old Rogers has quietly emerged as one of the most dependable relievers in the National League over the last seven years and has been a key piece of a Giants bullpen that ranks second in the Majors with a 3.22 ERA this season.

Since debuting with San Francisco in 2019, Rogers has recorded an excellent 2.79 ERA over 392 relief appearances. A pending free agent, Rogers is in the midst of perhaps his best season yet, logging a 1.80 ERA over 53 relief appearances -- tied with the Reds’ Tony Santillan for the most in the Majors -- while serving as the Giants’ setup man.

He is the twin brother of left-hander Taylor Rogers, who was also traded from the Reds to the Pirates as part of the Ke’Bryan Hayes deal on Wednesday.

The Giants won’t have to wait long to reunite with Rogers, as they’re slated to kick off a three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field on Friday night. While losing Rogers stings, manager Bob Melvin said he doesn’t believe the move necessarily equates to waving a white flag on the 2025 season.

“We’re still trying to win games here,” Melvin said. “We have a pretty deep bullpen, and we got a bullpen arm back, too. It hasn’t changed our expectations of ourselves. But you also understand that we put the front office in a tough spot, too, and they have to look at the future and the now.”

Buttó, 27, has recorded a 3.64 ERA over 34 relief appearances for the Mets this year, though he has starting experience and could be a candidate to boost a Giants rotation that has been depleted by the losses of Landen Roupp, who’s on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, and Hayden Birdsong, who was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento last week.

"I'm surprised,” Buttó said. “I didn't expect this. But I'm happy to go there and be a Giant."

Tidwell, 24, was the Mets’ second-round Draft pick in 2022 and has logged a 4.10 ERA over 17 appearances (14 starts) for Triple-A Syracuse this year. He’s made four Major League appearances for New York this season, giving up 15 runs in 15 innings (9.00 ERA)

Gilbert, 24, is a left-handed-hitting center fielder who was a first-round Draft pick of the Astros in 2022. He was traded to the Mets in exchange for Verlander two years ago and is batting .243 with a .777 OPS and 12 home runs over 82 games at Triple-A Syracuse in ‘25.

Buttó and Tidwell were both added to the Giants’ 40-man roster on Wednesday. Right-hander Sean Hjelle was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.