The Giants announced to reporters, including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, that they have signed Trevor Rosenthal to a one-year, $4.5MM deal. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle relays that there are performance bonuses worth $1MM based on games played. In a subsequent tweet, Shea provides details on the bonuses based on appearances, while adding that there’s a further $1MM available based on games finished. Rosenthal will receive $50K if he appears in 15 games and then again after his 18th game. He will received $150K after 23 games, $200K at 28, $250K at 33 and $300K at 38. As for games finished, it will be $100K for 12 games, $150K for 15, followed by $250K each after finishing 18, 21 and 24 games.
Rosenthal currently has a strained hamstring and is rehabbing in Arizona, per Pavlovic. He has been placed on the IL already and won’t require an active roster spot, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, who adds that the corresponding move to get Rosenthal on the 40-man roster is that Mauricio Llovera has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Rosenthal was one of the better relievers in baseball for many seasons but has been on a rollercoaster for the past few years. From 2012 to 2017, he appeared in 328 games with a 2.99 ERA, 31.2% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. He racked up 121 saves and 46 holds in that time
Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery put a halt to that and wiped out his entire 2018 season. He returned in 2019 but walked a whopping 30.6% of batters faced over a stretch of 15 1/3 innings. After that disastrous return, he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Royals for 2020. He got the train back on the tracks so well that the Royals were able to flip him to the Padres at the deadline for Edward Olivares. Rosenthal finished the shortened season with a 1.90 ERA in 23 2/3 innings, with an incredible 41.8% strikeout rate.
Based on that comeback, Oakland signed him to a one-year, $11MM deal for the 2021 season. However, a groin strain kept him on the shelf at the beginning of the year, and he later required surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, wiping out yet another entire season.
Rosenthal had a showcase over a month ago to show that he had returned to health. The Giants have evidently been impressed by his progress, based on the fact that they were willing to slap down a significant chunk of change despite Rosenthal currently being injured. On the one hand, Rosenthal is capable of being an elite reliever, but on the other hand, he’s thrown less than 40 total innings over the past five seasons.
The Giants have run into some bullpen issues this year, making it fairly understandable that they’re willing to look outside the box for answers. Most notably, Jake McGee, who saved 31 games for them last year, ran up a 7.17 ERA this year and got released last week. Overall, the club’s relievers have a 4.19 ERA, placing the club 23rd in the majors. If Rosenthal can get healthy, he can provide a boost for them down the stretch.
As for Llovera, he was just placed on the IL a few days ago due to a flexor strain. Based on today’s transfer, it seems the club doesn’t expect him to be able to return until mid-September at the earliest.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha………………………………..deep breath, hahahahahahahahahahaha!
relax. its a reliever for 4.5 mil, not an injury prone ss for 9 figures. oh, sorry.
Is it really $4.5M this late in the season or is it pro-rated?
Hahahaha your life
WORLD SERIES BOUND……BAHAHAHAHAA
Hey @gwynn. How much has Preller spent over the last two seasons? How much has Zaidi spent? Giants are 2.5 games back of your not-team. In any given three days, that can disappear. Bahahaha
C’mon. Give Tony a break. Preller is going to give up the farm to land Soto, fail to reach the WS for the next three seasons, and then have him walk via free agency.
Cant believe Giants fans falling for Tony, he’s not a Padre fan!
Came here to say this, Brewer! This fake Tony is a Yanks fan that’s too scared to show his own spirit.
He’s not a Padres fan. He’s a stupid troll. I hate the Giants, but he doesn’t belong on MLBTR
We goin to the ship baby
Rosenthal was rumored to be heading back to the Cardinals.
Should Rosenthal recover and return his lights out closer form, while he was with the Cardinals, Passing him up will be another nail in John Mozeliak’s coffin as a Cardinal.
I’m sure Mo is shaking in his boots
Shaking my head at the Mets here. Deepest pockets in baseball and couldn’t take a flier on this dude when you need bullpen help? Even if it took 6 million, so what?
Robertson on the Mets in a few hours, relax Dad.
Manbitesdog — Yeah, that’s who I hoped the Giants would bring in. Rosenthal is a scary choice given his long list of injuries.
People look at their bullpen ERA and act like the guys they throw out there are fine. In reality, they all blow up close games other than Ottavino and Diaz. Drew Smith and Lugo pitch well when the Mets are down by about 6 runs or up by 10 runs
I’m always blown away when I see Ottavino’s overall numbers because I swear he gives up the lead in every game he pitches.
That’s pretty much what he did for the RedSox last year
Ottavino is not quite as nerve racking as Familia, but he’s close.
Log isn’t the same without his spin rates and needs to throw more well located fastballs.
Drew Smith needs to be dropped back a notch. Let him pitch in losing efforts and blow outs. He’s giving up way too many homers. But I did notice he’s tipping his pitches. When he sets up, his glove is open to the runner on second and you can clearly see his grip.
Lugo, not Log. Sorry, didn’t proof read past the auto correct.
Mets don’t need Rosenthal…. they already have Max Scherzer to close out games
A SF post/story and an all Mets thread breaks out in the middle of it. Love it. Seems like the Mets are hot for Bell and Mancini?! In return Wash and Balt want a high end prospect but Mets are bulking unless they get a current productive and healthy “show” level reliever in the deal as well?
There are MUCH better options out there. Patience.
What’s the over under on innings pitched 5? I’d assume it’s prorated so that would one be like 500k per inning.
If he isn’t broken though that’s a pretty good deal for the giants.
Really no risk for them and they have the money so probably worth it.
4.5 million? He hasn’t pitched in two years! Could be a bargain but it could be bad Rosenthal.
Postseason berth = clinched.
The Mets really couldnt match that? I guess we will get to keep watching Drew Smith and Seth Lugo blow close games wideopen for the forseeable future. Trevor May is probably coming back soon, another guy that blows close games too
Honestly? I’m a little surprised h the Mets haven’t considered deGrom in the short term. I mean, if he’s healthy enough to go 4 in the minors, why not let him go 1 in the majors? If Jake can get loose and throw 10-12 pitches every 2-3 days, wouldn’t that be better than minor league attendance figures and whatever we get from Smith, Rodriguez, Lugo, Williams, Ottavino, et al?
Maybe the front office is too worried about 6-7 innings once per week and should reconsider for this season? Right now, it doesn’t appear that he’s going to be dependable enough to start once a week due to paranoia of injury.
The Giants are always a team where when a struggling/injured player joins them, I always have a good feeling that player will rebound
Rosenthal may turn out to be a good gamble for Zaidi. Hopefully he can add some life to the bullpen.
Unbelievable. Teams have continually got burned by this guy and Farhan comes in with another free 4.5 million. He isn’t even healthy right now
so is this a 1 year deal or a 1/2 year deal?like is he a FA in the middle of next season?
yes… it’s the new trend. he will be a free agent just after the all star game 2023.
I’d love to listen in on the conversations Zaidi and his staff have.That would be great fan experience, that I’d gladly pay big $ for.
Could I order a $22 beer and a $30 crab sandwich first?
Is that really the cost of a beer at the park right now?!
Never had a crab sandwich, never mind a $30 crab sandwich, any good, worth the money?
The crab sandwich is terrific, but expensive.
Yeah, unfortunately some of the craft brews are going for $20+.
And crab sandwiches in general are great. The one at the park is really good. $30 good ? Eh …
Seemed like an ok signing until I got to the part where he is already injured.
Wow. I don’t know about this signing. Glad it’s not the Orioles.
If he’s as good as he was before the wave of injuries, that’s a good signing! Big “IF*
Is this $4.5 M just for 1-2 months of this season or does this carry over to 2023?
Good question. It could also be a prorated portion of $4.5M, which is closer to $2M to finish the season
Dang dude has it good. 11 mil for not playing with the As. 4.5 mil this year for not pitching either. plz someone give me a hand out like this guy is getting every year
Terrible signing
Wow. He goes in being paid double their existing highest paid reliever. Impressive showcase.
Sure, why not? The Giants are operating with a deflated payroll, so they’ve got the ability to roll the dice when the cost is just money. They need bullpen help if they’re going to contend, and this could be a late-inning reinforcement without giving up a prospect. And if his arm falls off, it’s a sink cost that won’t affect their future rosters at all.
IS that 4.5 for the rest of the year or 4.5 prorated over the course of the year?
Fans griping about this as though a $4.5M deal precludes the front office from doing anything else.
Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.
Here’s hoping someone else is in charge of your household’s budget.
For years I thought the same about the Mets.
Take a moment to check out the Giants current and future payroll commitments and explain to everyone how this deal should stop them from making additional moves. Then when you’re done, justify that take to a fanbase who pays the 5th highest average ticket price in MLB.
I’m not criticizing the move, I’m criticizing your logic. If the Giants think it’s money well spent, good for them, they know more about Rosenthal than me. But your logic is: we still have money left over so who cares how we just spent 4.5 million? That’s not very savvy. And what the heck does Met ticket prices have to do with anything? I gotta laugh, you’re not the first person to think they can hurt me with a non sequitur criticism of how the Mets are run. I’m just a fan, the team rarely listens to my advice so why complain to me? Anyway, some folks can take a joke, some can’t.
So confused. Looking to be offended much? Check what I said … I wasn’t even the person that mentioned the Mets. In fact, kudos to your club. Spend money to put together a solid roster and win games. Can’t fault that.
You again missed my point as it actually aligns with yours. Obviously the Giants need bullpen help so this really isn’t “spending money just to spend.” Someone with a baseball acumen greater than ours sees Rosenthal at $4.5M as at least an educated gamble. If you have a need, fill it as best you can.
As for ticket prices, I was talking about justifying GIANTS ticket prices to the GIANTS fanbase. After all, this was an article written about a GIANTS signing. Again, just another confirmation that some Mets fans feel like the MLB world revolves around them.
A. Yes, I conflated your response with someone else’s, sorry about that. B. I already said I agree with the idea of signing Rosenthal, I just take issue with your logic about why the spending was ok, it just sounded like typical spending other people’s money rhetoric. C. I was mostly kidding anyway, I don’t actually doubt your budgetary skills. But now that I better understand your point about ticket prices (my fault for misunderstanding initially) I see your point a bit more clearly.
Get ready for this to be the only addition for the run.Boyd comes to mind on this pick up.Get an old guy with some success years ago who is injured and hope he can rebound from failure and injury and lead the Giants to the promise land. This is getting real old!
To be honest I didn’t think this dude was still trying to pitch after all he’s been through. Could be good or could be bad signing, but who cares really.
Hope he literally breaks a leg.
-A’s fan
yikes.
His own or somebody else’s?
Looks desperate and a tad expensive but I’m glad hey didn’t give up a prospect. That probably comes later.
Where are the jays on the reliever market? We have needed relief pitching for 2 months now, we have added nobody but cast offs from other squads. Now a legitimate reliever is available and where are we? Our pen is a joke. I refused to get on the bandwagon of shatkins haters but I officially hopped on the bandwagon. I was really hoping we got Rosenthal since we have nobody who averages over a k per IP other then Romano.
He’s injured…
Darn. I was hoping the Mets would add him. His post season experience could be beneficial for any team making it that far.
There are some much better options out there
He’s signed…and… injured
Your thinking the same thing I am!!
“That’s Crazy!”
It’s time baseball moves on from this guy. So many more deserving players, but I guess the Giants are trying to catch lightning in a bottle with a guy who hasn’t been relevant in several years.