Mets former top prospect impresses with new Triple-A team

The New York Mets pulled off several deals ahead of the trade deadline to help bolster their roster for what they hope is a deep run in the postseason.

Arguably the most surprising move New York made was acquiring right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants. To acquire him, a hefty price was paid in the form of right-handed pitcher Jose Butto, right-handed pitching prospect Blade Tidwell, and outfield prospect Drew Gilbert.

No one knew that Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey was going to be selling ahead of the deadline, but he saw an opportunity to cash in on an elite chip with his team’s performance cratering on the field. San Francisco is already beginning to reap some of the benefits, as one of the prospects they got in return for Rogers has impressed very quickly.

On Tuesday, Blade Tidwell took the mound for the first time as a member of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, and was dominant. The 24-year-old threw five innings of two-run ball, allowing only four hits and two walks. What really stood out was his strikeout numbers, racking up nine of them thanks to a 98.5 mph fastball, while his secondary slider and sweeper both generated an incredible number of swings and misses, with 11 whiffs recorded.

Blade Tidwell (the Tyler Rogers trade) struck out 9 and allowed 2 runs over 5 innings in his River Cats debut. Fastball hit 98.5 mph and he got 11 swinging strikes with his slider and sweeper: pic.twitter.com/LNqrrHKfZ8
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 6, 2025

It was the exact kind of performance that the Mets and their fans knew Tidwell was capable of, as the 2022 second-round pick out of the University of Tennessee looked great in his debut with a new team. To pour more salt in the wound, Tidwell's impressive debut with the Giants' organization came on the same night where Rogers didn't have his best stuff.

Rogers, 34, has been one of the most productive and reliable workhorses out of the bullpen over the last few years; his unique arm angle and strong command more than makes up for his lack of velocity, having the slowest average fastball in baseball. He currently boasts an impressive 1.87 ERA and 2.66 FIP.

But even the best can have some hiccups on the field, which occurred on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. Pitching in the seventh inning of a tie game, Rogers gave up three consecutive two-out singles, the last of which was a go-ahead RBI single to Steven Kwan; that was enough for the Guardians to win, 3-2, and hand the Mets their seventh defeat in eight games.

Don't mind if we do!#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/jcvGmX4YcJ
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 6, 2025

Of course, it's still only been a week since Rogers joined the team, so there's plenty of time for him to settle in. But having to see Tidwell show a glimpse of his potential on the same night that their new high-end reliever struggled has quickly left a bitter taste in the mouths of Mets fans.

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