Why Flamethrower Blade Tidwell Should Be In Giants' Starting Rotation in 2027

As the San Francisco Giants stare down what the roster will look like in 2027, the starting rotation is filled with question marks.

In what has become a mix-and-match mess, there have been 25 different pitchers on their Major League Baseball roster from Opening Day on March 25 through Aug. 8. Injuries, inconsistency, and recent trades have thinned the rotation's ranks, but one young hurler should be given every opportunity to step into the mix during next year's spring training.

Blade Tidwell, a 25-year-old fireballer, is been getting more MLB experience right now, and he's fared well for someone thrown into the fire. At the MLB level this season, he's currently 0-0 and has a 4.38 ERA across 16 games (15 starts) in Triple-A Sacramento. He was originally drafted by the New York Mets in the second round (52nd overall), but was acquired as part of the Tyler Rogers trade last July.

Powerful Pitching Potential

Rookie starter — San Francisco Giants pitcher Blade Tidwell | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tidwell will likely remain a part of the Giants' staff for the remainder of the 2026 season, but he will no doubt be one of the most important names coming into spring training 2027, because if he can step up, it fills a costly need with an inexpensive option.

"I'm excited for the opportunity; I'm embracing it," Tidwell stated, according to NBC Sports Bay Area, adding that his time with the club's Triple-A squad, the Sacramento River Cats, saying that his experience there was spent "commanding the arsenal that I've always had since being with the Giants."

Tony Vitello, who coached Tidwell when he threw for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, stated in the same story that there's a lot to like about Tidwell. Clearly a huge fan of his former NCCA-turned-MLB pitcher, Vitello knows him as well as anyone. The skipper summed up his starter as succinctly as he could when he stated:

"Blade is a little bit of a Skittle," Vitello said. "He's rough on the exterior but a little softer than people realize on the inside. He's got a big heart, and I think he's got strong relationships with everybody that's been involved with his career, and I think it helps that we know him because there's more there ... I think there's more there, and I really do feel pressure on (our staff) to bring it out of him."

Does that mean that the former Mets prospect is now guaranteed a spot in 2027? No. But he will definitely be pushed to the forefront of the arms race as next season begins, where he will be counted on to help the franchise make its transition back to greatness.

Currently, he's a cheaper option than shopping for costly free agents, and with his power pitching arsenal and sizable stature, he could develop into an ace of the staff eventually.

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