Not A Goodbye, But A See You Later: Giants Trade Tyler Rogers

Just over a week ago, the San Francisco Giants were still thought of as buyers at the trade deadline. Reports were coming out left and right that they were focused on adding a right-handed power bat, second-baseman, and starting pitcher.

However, after those reports, San Francisco rattled off six-straight losses, getting swept by the Mets and the Pirates. This capped off a run of losing 12 out of 14 and sealed their fate as sellers come July 31st.

The one group the team could absolutely sell from was the bullpen. The group had been the best in baseball throughout the majority of the first half and, at one point, had the three best reliever ERAs across baseball.

Tyler Rogers was seen as the leader of this group among Bay Area fans. While he isn’t the flashiest arm, barely topping out at 84 mph, he has been the most available and reliable non-closer in baseball for almost half a decade.

Let’s break down the deal that sent Rogers to the New York Mets and why it’s possible he hasn’t played his last game as a San Francisco Giant.

The Deal

In the early afternoon in San Francisco, the news had broke that the New York Mets had acquired Tyler Rogers.

Mets acquiring RHP Tyler Rogers from Giants, source @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2025

It was the first sign that the Giants had decided to sell and the beginning of an inspiring deadline from the Mets. In return, San Francisco got the Mets #9 prospect, Drew Gilbert, and #14 prospect, Blade Tidwell. Major league bullpen piece Jose Butto was the final piece in the package going back to the Giants.

Rogers, who is heading for free agency for the first time in his career, seemed like a perfect trade chip with significant value. However, many were surprised with the amount of value he was actually acquired for.

Gilbert was a late first round pick by the Astros back in 2022. Once regarded as a Top 100 prospect by numerous outlets, his stock had dropped slightly in recent memory. He had battled injury in 2024 and had a slow start to this year. However, within the last month, he looked back to Top 100 form, hitting over .300 and launching six home runs in the month of July.

Tidwell, on the other hand, was one of the highest regarded arms in the Mets’ system. Although he has struggled in his short big league time, he still holds a ton of upside as a reliever, or back end starter. He offers a five-pitch mix that is highlighted by an above-average sweeper.

Lastly, Jose Butto had been a solid big league arm for the Mets. He has the ability to go multiple innings out of the pen and can even start games if necessary. The combination of two top 15 ranked prospects and a fine bullpen arm in exchange for a rental, non-closing reliever, seemed like extraordinary value for the Giants.

You can’t forget about Tyler Rogers, though. Since the beginning of 2022, Rogers leads all of Major League Baseball in holds, with 97. He also has a 2.90 ERA in that span while being second in baseball with 266 appearances. Just because he throws funny, baseball has underrated the submariner for years.

See You Later?

As mentioned earlier, Rogers is heading for free agency for the first time in his career this winter. Giants fans shared their heartbreak for losing the reliable reliever all over social media. However, is it possible he’s back in a Giants jersey sooner than we think?

While it’s never easy to predict where free agents will sign, this one makes a lot of sense. First off, Rogers has spent his entire professional career with San Francisco. Originally drafted in 2013 by the Giants, he later debuted with the team in 2019.

As a matter of fact, he was asked about the possibility of coming back to San Francisco in his first media availability since the trade.

Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle had this to say via X:

“Rogers said he would come back to SF if the circumstances work/deal makes sense but he is focused on helping the Mets now…says SF is a great place and he gave his all when he was there and he can’t say enough about the people.”

While it’s never a sure thing that a free agent will sign with a certain team, this seems like one of the more likely scenarios. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Rogers has already talked about the possibility of it happening on his first day as a Met.

Final Thoughts

Tyler Rogers has been the backbone of a solid Giants bullpen for north of the last half decade. Year in and year out, he pumps out innings with an impressive ERA to put the group on his back.

While losing him in San Francisco will hurt for the Giants, it was a deal that made sense. The organization added two major league ready prospects and an arm that helps fill the holes left from the deadline.

For the rest of the conversation, only time will tell. Is this really the end of Tyler Rogers’ career as a Giant, or does he find his way back in the orange and black come 2026?