Here’s the latest chatter on Phillies’ closer Ken Giles, who has drawn plenty of attention as a possible trade chip after tossing over 100 innings of 1.56 ERA ball in his first two seasons in the majors:
- “We’re trying to add players like Ken Giles, we’re not trying to subtract,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak said today in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio links). “That’s what every team wants,” he said, referring to Giles’ performance, control, and cost. Of course, as he went on to note, there’s a “caveat”: Klentak said that he is open to being “opportunistic” with any player and is listening to any and all proposals from other clubs. “The relief pitcher market this year has been a little different than it is in a lot of offseasons, maybe highlighted by the trade last week,” he noted (apparently referencing the Craig Kimbrel deal).
- The Astros and Marlins are two of several teams that have checked in with Philly on Giles, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. It’s hard to put too much stock in that, of course. Houston has been said to be pursuing a wide variety of power relief arms. And Miami could stand to plug in another late-inning arm, particularly one that won’t occupy much payroll space in the near term. Then, there’s the fact that a number of other teams are (or will likely be) in the mix as well.
- As Rosenthal notes, and as Klentak said himself directly, the club is hardly committed to dealing Giles away right now. Indeed, it would be surprising to learn of such an approach. Philadelphia was comfortable taking some additional risk by waiting to trade Cole Hamels, and that rationale holds weight here as well. Though the risk of an injury or a downturn is always there, and it would obviously behoove the team to see what it can get, that hardly means there’s a rush to cash in the 25-year-old.
well it will be interesting… I would deal him, knowing that he is commanding a good value in return, and also, the fluctuations of relievers from year to year. I think hes gone, way to much smoke …. and it makes a lot of sense for the Phillies. This is just posturing at the moment.
Who holds out longer on their closer the Reds or Phillies, Phillies seem to be in a better position since they have Giles controlled longer and can afford to do this.
Are Papelbon Storen even being shopped? I thought one of them would be the first to move.
I’d love for the Astros to get him, but not if it’s gonna cost a ton. The closer market is interesting. Kimbrel demanded a ton, but K-Rod was rather cheap. We shall see what happens. I’d give up two pretty solid prospects and a lottery ticket for Giles if I’m Luhnow, but no talks about Reed or Cameron.
i know that the odds of this happening are slim to none. but what would take boston to acquire him too?. it would be awesome to have a bullpen with giles and kimbrel
“we’re looking to add players like Ken Giles”…why? you’re a dead in the water, last place club, but you’re looking to add relief arms? ok then…
By that, he means young, talented players making the league minimum. Besides, it’s almost certainly just posturing. If the Phils can get a package similar to the Kimbrel deal, they’ll pull the trigger in a heartbeat.
The Kimbrel package was for prospects. They’ve acquired a lot of prospects The Phillies need young, talented players who’ve done something in the majors. So I don’t think they’ll look for a deal like Boston made.
Yes they will do a deal like Boston made. The Phillies are going to keep stockpiling prospects since they won’t be in contention for another couple years. That’s just reality.
And relief pitching is so volatile anyway. Guys rise and fall incredibly quickly so it’s good to sell high
Did you see this coming back in 2011?
As a lifelong fan I say don’t trade him. Then again he made be 30 by the time they’re relevant again
If they can get something close to the Kimbrel deal, they shouldn’t even think twice. Margot should be contributing in the Majors by 2017. With Franco up, Crawford coming up in 2016, hopefully Quinn coming up in 2016 or 2017, and guys like Nola, Eickhoff, and the rest developing, 2017 seems to be the year the Phillies should focus on. With Howard coming off the books that year, the Phils could also go in on an intriguing F.A. class – Gómez, Encarnación, Reddick, Bautista, Strasburg, Wilson Ramos, and a bunch of other talented players are hitting free agency that year.
Who are the relievers in that free agent class? The Phillies will have 0 reliable bullpen arms if they trade Giles. So they’ll have to sign a lot of free agent relievers.
I’d hate to see him go so early, unless he brings back the goods in return. Adding Jake Diekman to the Hamels deal hurt enough.