SAN FRANCISCO – For the past few days, Giants manager Bob Melvin had been pushing for hopes of adding at the MLB trade deadline during an ugly losing streak that had his team looking more like sellers than buyers — all just six weeks after turning the baseball world on its head with the acquisition of star slugger Rafael Devers.
Before the Giants (54-55) eventually dropped their sixth straight game Wednesday, putting them below .500 for the first time this season, those hopes were crushed. Melvin lost his most reliable reliever early in the Giants’ 2-1 extra-innings loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates when Tyler Rogers was traded to the New York Mets.
“We put the front office in a tough spot, too, and they have to look at the future and the now,” Melvin said after the game. “I think this might be a combination where we have some depth in the bullpen, and got something back that obviously they liked.”
The three players the Giants received in return for Rogers were prospects Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell, as well as reliever José Butto. Gilbert, an outfielder and former first-round draft pick, was playing for Triple-A Syracuse, as was Tidwell, a right-handed pitcher who made his MLB debut earlier this season.
Instant help should come from Butto, possibly as soon as Friday when the Giants ironically travel to New York for a three-game series against the Mets. Wednesday’s loss was an example of how much Butto could be needed right away.
Rogers wasn’t an option, nor was 2025 MLB All-Star Randy Rodriguez, who didn’t pitch all series after throwing back-to-back games against the Mets on Saturday and Sunday. The three pitchers Melvin went to after a stellar outing from Logan Webb were Spencer Bivens, Matt Gage and Tristan Beck in high-leverage situations often reserved for Rogers and Rodriguez.
By the time Melvin met with the media, he hadn’t spoken to the front office yet. He admitted he needs to do more research on Butto, saying “he’s a good arm.”
“I know he was in their bullpen, and we replace a guy in our bullpen with somebody we brought back,” Melvin said.
Butto, 27, is a right-handed reliever who has enjoyed a strong season thus far. He has appeared in a career-high 34 games and has a 3.64 ERA with one save in 47 innings. His 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings are a career low, making his money in the infield. Butto has a career-high 49.6 ground ball percentage this season.
The Mets used…