NEW YORK (AP) — The busy New York Mets made another trade Wednesday to strengthen their injury-depleted bullpen, acquiring right-hander Tyler Rogers from the fading San Francisco Giants for three players.
New York sent pitchers José Buttó and Blade Tidwell to the Giants, along with minor league outfield prospect Drew Gilbert. Tidwell was at Triple-A Syracuse after making two starts and two relief appearances for the Mets this season.
The deal came on the same day from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh in the three-player swap that moved Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds.
Tyler Rogers is 4-3 with a 1.80 ERA this season, using his drastic submarine delivery to great effect. The 34-year-old reliever has struck out 38 batters and walked only four in 50 innings, tying for the major league lead with 53 appearances.
“I like it. We got better as a team,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said in San Diego after a 5-0 loss to the Padres. “We just faced him the other day. He’s pretty tough on righties and lefties. He gives you a different look. He’s a guy that throws strikes. He can get righties and lefties. He’s pretty durable and he’s healthy and he takes the ball.”
He should give Mendoza, in need of dependable bullpen options, another experienced arm to help set up All-Star closer Edwin Díaz.
“He allows me to have more flexibility, to match up, be more aggressive when I need to. He just makes our unit a lot deeper back there,” Mendoza said.
a two-time All-Star, in a trade with Baltimore last Friday and entered Wednesday with a half-game lead in the NL East over rival Philadelphia.
Tyler Rogers, who can become a free agent following the World Series, is 26-20 with a 2.79 ERA and 19 saves in seven major league seasons — all with the Giants.
New York will pay the remaining $1,693,548 of Rogers’ $5.25 million salary this year and about $1.6 million more in luxury tax.
Buttó, 27, is 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA and one save in 34 relief outings this season. The right-hander also has experience as a starter.
“It’s a tough one there,” Mendoza said. “Nothing but great things to say about him. His ability to take the ball — we used him in a lot of different roles. Great teammate, great human. Obviously, we’re going to miss him. But it’s the business. We all understand that. I think he’s going to help that team, too. He’s getting a great opportunity here, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to impact that team as well.”
The 24-year-old Tidwell made his major league debut May 4 and is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in the big leagues after giving up 15 earned runs in 15 innings.
Gilbert, 24, was batting .243 with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs in 82 games at Syracuse. He was selected 28th overall by Houston in the 2022 amateur draft from the University of Tennesse and has an .809 OPS in 276 career minor league games.
The left-handed hitter was acquired by the Mets in the trade that sent three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to the Astros on Aug. 1, 2023.
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AP freelance reporter Bernie Wilson in San Diego and AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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