Giants Trade Taylor Rogers To Reds For 25-Year-Old Pitching Prospect

Image credit: Taylor Rogers (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

The Giants are breaking up the Twins. Lefthander Taylor Rogers, the twin brother of fellow Giants reliever Tyler Rogers, has been sent to the Reds along with half of his $12 million salary in a move that saw the Giants bring back MiLB reliever Braxton Roxby.

GIANTS RECEIVE

Braxton Roxby, RHP
Age: 25

The Reds went heavy into signing pitchers with high-quality stuff in the nondrafted free agent class of 2020 after the draft was shortened to five rounds. That helped them find Roxby, who was pitching at Division II Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Baseball America highlighted Roxby as a potential Rule 5 target in 2023. He wasn’t selected, and his 2024 season at Double-A Chattanooga was a slight step back as far as results. He went unprotected and unpicked in the Rule 5 draft again in Dec. 2024.

But Roxby does have the stuff to help a big league bullpen. His low-80s slider has long been a plus pitch, and he relies on it more than any other pitch including his fastball. Roxby mixes in low-90s fastballs as well, but generally throws the heater just to set up another slider. Roxby is around the zone with average command, but he has to nibble and tries to induce chases, so he’d rather walk a batter than give in, leading to slightly above-average walk rates. That approach does help to explain his 30.6% career strikeout rate.

REDS RECEIVE

Taylor Rogers, LHP
Age: 34

Rogers has been a reasonably effective lefty reliever over the past nine MLB seasons. He went 1-1, 2.40 for the Giants last year with a 3.75 FIP and a 1.25 WHIP. His significant drop in strikeout rate–25.7% in 2024 compared to 29.6% in 2023–was more of a concern. Unlike his submarining brother, Rogers is a relatively conventional sinker-slider lefty with a sweeper to go with his 92-94 mph fastball. He should provide a durable and reliable reliever for the Reds.