LOS ANGELES -- With less than two weeks until MLB's Aug. 2 trade deadline, the Giants found a way to potentially plug one of their biggest holes without dealing any prospects.
The Giants on Thursday announced a one-year, $4.5 million contract with veteran right-hander Trevor Rosenthal that includes an additional $2 million in potential performance bonuses. It is rare that a reliever signs that kind of deal in July, but Rosenthal hasn't pitched in a big league game in nearly two years because of a series of injuries. The Giants are betting that he can become the latest to end up with them because of his medical charts and then ultimately succeed, joining guys like Carlos Rodón, Alex Wood and John Brebbia.
"Trevor is just health away from being one of the more effective closers in the game," manager Gabe Kapler said. "Obviously it's been some time and he hasn't been on the mound in a while, but the talent hasn't gone anywhere. It's an electric arm and a physical, strong body. There's a lot of potential to really make an impact for us in the second half."
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The hope is that the impact is felt pretty soon. Rosenthal could pitch in a rehab game as early as next week and then the Giants will decide the next steps. The word out of Arizona, where he has been rehabbing a mild hamstring strain, is that Rosenthal's bullpen sessions have been extremely promising.
The hamstring strain is the latest in a string of injuries that have kept him out since he ended the 2020 season with the San Diego Padres. Rosenthal allowed just three hits and struck out 17 over 10 appearances for the Padres -- including two that closed out the Giants on the final weekend of that regular season -- and he was rewarded with an $11 million deal by the Athletics that offseason. Rosenthal never pitched for Oakland, though.
Last April, he had surgery to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and then in July he had another procedure to repair a torn labrum in his hip. Rosenthal has made just 55 appearances since 2017, but Kapler said everything is healed right now except the hamstring.
If Rosenthal is able to return early in August, he would give the Giants a flamethrowing duo at the end of games. Rosenthal averaged about 98 mph the last time he was in the big leagues and he has regularly hit triple digits in his career.
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He would team with Camilo Doval and potentially help solve one of the big issues for the bullpen, which ranks 29th in the Majors in strikeouts per nine innings. Rosenthal averaged 14.5 K/9 in 2020, about twice the combined rate for the current Giants bullpen.
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Rosenthal spent his early years with St. Louis, which meant a lot of postseason time. That could end up being another benefit for a Giants team that's half a game out of a Wild Card spot. If Rosenthal is able to help the Giants reach the playoffs, it would be his sixth time appearing in October.
"Experience, you just can't duplicate it," Kapler said. "We have some guys on our team now with some pretty significant experience both in the playoffs and in big regular season games. I think Trevor's is excellent as well."