How New Giants Pitching Prospect Poised for Breakout Season in 2026

The San Francisco Giants haven’t gotten a look at this top young prospect yet, but they should get their chance next season.

San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants got more than one pitcher from the New York Mets for reliever Tyler Rogers.

One was outfielder Drew Gilbert. He made his MLB debut in September and immediately ingratiated himself to Giants fans for his play, his hustle and his undeniably odd antics in the dugout.

San Francisco received two other players in the deal — pitchers Blade Tidwell and José Buttó. The Giants got a look at the MLB ready Buttó right away. He fit into the bullpen, logged 21 games and had a 4.50 ERA.

But, in some ways, Tidwell was the centerpiece. A starting pitcher who had logged more than 30 Triple-A starts with the Mets before he arrived, the hope was that he could pitch in the Majors at some point in 2025. But, after four games with Triple-A Sacramento, he was shut down after a shoulder injury. So the 24-year-old — and the Giants — had to wait.

Now, MLB.com sees Tidwell, who is considered the Giants’ No. 13 overall prospect, as the franchise’s top breakout candidate for 2026.

About Blake Tidwell

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The opportunity will be there for the right-hander. Logan Webb and Robbie Ray are at the top of the rotation. Adrian Houser will likely be an innings-eating No. 3 starter. The rest of the rotation is up for grabs. Landen Roupp has the inside track to a job but not a lock. Carson Whisenhut, Trevor McDonald and Carson Seymour are also part of the equation. Webb’s commitment to the World Baseball Classic should provide opportunities for Tidwell and the rest of the contenders to impress first-year manager Tony Vitello.

The new manager could be a wild card in this race. The former Tennessee head coach doesn’t know many of the players on the team. But he does have a relationship with Tidwell. He played for Vitello at Tennessee and was the Mets’ second-round pick in 2022. Gilbert has the same relationship with Vitello.

Tidwell has MLB experience with the Mets, but it’s a small sample size. He pitched in four games with two starts for New York, finishing with a record of 1-1 and a 9.00 ERA. He allowed 15 earned runs in 15 innings, as he struck out 10 and walked 10. Batters hit .348 against him.

In the minors, he’s coming off a 2025 in which he went 6-4 with a 3.62 ERA in 21 games (17 starts) with the Mets’ Syracuse affiliate and with Sacramento. He pitched 97 innings, striking out 111 and walking 37. Batters hit .218 against him. The numbers say he’s ready for more run in the Major Leagues. If he can prove it, he may just be the solution to the Giants’ back of the rotation issues.