Why Giants Should Prioritize Re-Signing This Star Reliever in Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants used this reliever to bring them Drew Gilbert at the trade deadline. Re-signing him should be a priority this offseason.

General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have the trade deadline to thank for outfielder Drew Gilbert.

The Giants, believing they were sellers at the deadline, acquired three players from the New York Mets — pitcher Blade Tidwell, pitcher José Buttó and Gilbert. The last now appears to be their potential starting right fielder, assuming the Giants don’t move to sign a player to take that spot in free agency.

The price to get those players was reliever Tyler Rogers. For a set-up man, the Giants chased in. Now, it’s time for San Francisco to complete the circle and bring their decade-long farmhand and set-up man back to the area in free agency this offseason. There are plenty of good reasons why.

Why Giants Should Re-Sign Tyler Rogers

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Even though he’s just a set-up man, MLB Trade Rumors ranks him as the No. 42 free agent. The site projects he’ll snag a two-year deal worth $18 million, with a $9 million average annual value. None of MLBTR’s analysts believe Rogers will land back in San Francisco. The Giants should work hard to prove them wrong. The good news is San Francisco knows what it had.

Aside from the projected cost, which is not onerous, Rogers has a quality track record as a reliever since is MLB debut in 2019. He’s finished with an ERA lower than 3.00 on four different occasions, including the last two seasons.

The Giants didn’t dump him on the Mets. They moved him because they knew his value. In 53 games with the Giants in 2025, he went 4-3 with a 1.80 ERA, including 38 strikeouts and four walks in 50 innings. His ERA did shoot up a bit with the Mets, but he went 0-3 with a 2.30 ERA in 28 games with the Mets, with 10 strikeouts and three walks in 27 innings.

His 2025 fell in line with his career numbers — 26-23 with a 2.76 ERA in 424 innings. He’s not a velocity hound. In fact, his fastball rarely touches 90 mph. But he’s an effective locator who only walks 1.6 hitters every nine innings for his career. He’s worked as a closer — he has 19 career saves — but he’s more effective setting one up.

The best part is that Rogers gives the Giants something different. He has a submarine delivery that is effective at throwing hitters off-balance. It seems to take stress of his pitching arm. He’s led the Majors in appearances twice and the National League in appearances two other times. Per Statcast, hitters have averaged roughly 85 mph in exit velocity off him in his career, making extra-base hits difficult.

Rogers is a throwback, and a good one. He gets hitters out with a unique arm angle, an array of non-fastballs and by trusting his defense, which has gotten better in San Francisco in recent seasons. At the projected price, the Giants should make re-signing Rogers a priority.