The Yankees and Blue Jays almost pulled off a significant, intra-division deal involving closer Ken Giles at this year’s trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Three prospects would’ve headed to Toronto had the deal gone through, though their particular identities aren’t known.
This note is largely of historical import, though it’s interesting nevertheless. The Yankees were linked to Giles on deadline day, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeting that “deep” talks had taken place. Still, it wasn’t clear at the time just how far down the line the teams went. Rosenthal says the Jays actually informed other teams they expected a deal to go through, which made it impossible to pivot back and craft another agreement.
It’s still not entirely clear why talks collapsed at the last minute. No doubt health questions were a major factor, as he was dealing with elbow problems heading into the deadline. But the health records had already been exchanged and accounted for, Rosenthal notes.
Giles has continued to experience some trouble in the joint, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to rack up strikeouts. He’ll assuredly be discussed again in trade talks this coming winter, when he’ll be angling for a raise on his $6.3MM arbitration salary. The Toronto organization will hope it can generate more interest than it did at the deadline despite having only one season of control to market.
There’ll certainly be no shortage of ongoing interest — provided, at least, that teams get comfortable with the health situation. Giles has been excellent when available this year, throwing 44 innings of 2.05 ERA ball with 15.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
Whether the Yanks will continue to push for Giles remains to be seen, and will no doubt involve quite a few other factors as well. The New York org will have to see how things proceed with closer Aroldis Chapman, who can opt out of his deal at season’s end, and also consider other priorities.
Nearly isnt enough
Cashman = El Cheapo
I think he is trying to save for Gerrit Cole, he is infatuated with him. Drafted him and tried hard to acquire him when he was with Pirates. I think it’s a four team race for him in the winter. White Sox, Angles, Phillies And Yankees. I do not believe they will try and be cheap. I see something like 6 years 210 million….Just my opinion
May even be just a two team race for Cole – Yankees and Angels. Angels with a slight edge due to home field advantage.
The 4 possible teams listed for Cole make sense. Can’t count out the Dodgers or Padres.
Do you really think that’s gonna happen with the Yankees current strategy? They need to pay their offensively inclined Baby Bombers first and Cashman has heavily insinuated that’s why they’ve held back on expensive signings and trades lately.
I don’t think Cashman goes that high/long. I think Cashman is now in the business of long term cost certainty and efficiency. I see them going for Cole but I don’t see them breaking the bank. I think he’ll be more like the Tanaka signing- lucrative, long term- but not record breaking. 5 years/$130M w/ an affordable option of like $25M seems more realistic from the Yankees.
Why wouldn’t the Astros be in the mix here?
Dodgers are in a better position than the Yankees. They buyout Gyorko they sit at around $175-mil, enough to go after Cole. Could also see LA potentially trading Joc Pederson to open the door for Verdugo, plus use Taylor and Hernandez in the OF with Lux taking 2B. Pederson would shave some millions off the payroll.
Yankees after arbitration are over $200-mil, and that’s including the buyouts of Encarnacion and Rosenthal. Signing Cole means no Didi, Betances and possibly Gardner. Take Ellsbury’s contract off (thanks to insurance) and they still hover around $190’ish.
i think you can count out the dodgers
hahahaha, but as a Dodgers fan, I agree…they aren’t spending, even though they should in this case
Todd=spoiled brat
Well ain’t that a punch in the face
I love you for this.
The Jays front office seem as though they aren’t very good at dealing with fluid or complex situations – it’s like they have a one track decision tree: The twins not being re-engaged for Stroman after saying no to Kiriloff/Lewis; moving from EE immediately to sign Morales and now this.
Agreed on the EE Morales situation…. but I think the Twins involvement in the Stroman trade is being overblown.
No way Lewis was getting moved, likely not Graterol or Kiriloff either… the latter of which has come back a little as a prospect this year.
Jays were likely (and for good reason) very focused on pitching at this deadline. Rumours are they really liked Woods-Richardson and it’s quite possible they decided Kay+Richardson was better than any combination of other prospects the Twins would offer. If the Twins said “we won’t trade these three guys” and you don’t like the other guys enough… why call them back?
Also perfectly reasonable for the Twins to say they could beat the offer. Balazovic+Larnach for example would be higher rated prospects than what the Jays got…. but Jays internal scouting may feel differently.
It’s not about getting one of those two players from the Twins for Stroman. Or even the Jays still liking what they got from the Mets more — both scenarios are reasonable. That they didn’t even try to circle back (as with EE) suggests they have a very rigid system in dealing with transactions which is problematic. Especially for a group high on the management/corporate/synergenestic speak. They need to be more dynamic to borrow from that language.
Morales? You.mean Gonzalez? Obviously, Eduardo Escobar wanted to stay in AZ considering how quickly he signed and how much he signed for there
No. The Jays signed morales to replace EE
I mean the Stroman deal looks pretty sick, I think we got Waguespack for like 2 months of Aaron Loup that’s kinda nice.
ooo an yea we were in a crappy position trading Osuna somehow we got two prospects and the better closer. I’m just glad they were on track with these ones.
I’m actually kind of glad it didn’t happen. After Garcia who almost assuredly wasn’t a part of the deal, the farm is either overrated or just not too advanced.
Yeah Mike King is a scrub as well as Schmidt. Dsmn scrubs and that five tool cf who keeps getting injured and unable to develop. And scrubs like Mike Ford
@willwill
Why do you think King or Schmidt are scrubs> Not even sure what you’re saying about Ford either. Not saying what he’ll be but he looks good so far.
Did your sarcasm meter break?
You make the internet not fun
Are you trying to put words in my mouth willwill?
they still are overrated even with your sarcasm. Ford is so great his first big league action is at like 28, not a prospect.
the CF prospect I hope your not talking about the one that can’t catch?
I don’t want to be mean, having a soft spot for Giles and his struggles, but as Astros fan Yankees getting him would be IDEAL.
dosent he have like an era of 2 over the last two seasons?
his struggles have been better then Osuna seasons if that’s the case
Not sure why LA could not get a deal done for someone like Giles who would not have required them to part with a top 5 prospect. That LA pen will kill them in the playoffs. No shut down options.
His elbow barks up every few weeks and he has a history of being terrible in the playoffs. Thats why
not sure he is bad in the playoffs.
well should rephrase he was bad in the playoffs , but three years ago an with only 7 innings pitched I’d say it’s a small sample size. He basically sucked in Houston an in his career has been like a superstar everywhere else. his numbers in Philly an TO are HOF quality ERAS below 2 an strikeout rates that are insane
Happy Yanks didn’t get Giles but if it were for 3 fringe prospects I would have been happy to see what he had and if he could stay happy. Not worth more then that with injury concern and such. Yanks getting Severino and Betances back in the bullpen is a much bigger lift.
Having the Yankees be fully healthy is the best way forward. Their team is absolutely stacked even with the injuries.
Why they collapsed? He was broken.
Yankee tax.
I can relate to Mr. Cashman very much. I almost had some new sheetrock installed near the deadline myself. Balked at the price. I’ll probably will wait until the offseason too.
I almost saved 15% on my car insurance
You get Giles for next year al well. Right now now green and holder don’t look great. Dellin is a FA, Chapman might choose FA and I think TK is one as well
Kahnle ain’t a free agent, they have 2 more years of control. Green has been a lot better since the start of the year. They will probably resign dellin.
If Chapman opts our, they let him go and sign someone else.
Dellin very well may never be the same pitcher again given this injury and his age.
I think we should start calling Rosenthal the Robert Ludlum of baseball journalists. He sees hidden stuff everywhere.
There’s very little doubt the Yanks inquired on Giles; so probably did 10 other teams. Medicals were exchanged; they usually are, right at the beginning. Nobody believes them of course, which is why physicals usually have to happen before a deal gets done.
Three (unidentified) prospects were in the deal….Oh……Larry, Moe and Curly….
Lots and lots of names get floated; lots and lots of scenarios are explored. And the process starts MUCH earlier than these guys report; Dombrowski and Hahn both admit they started about Sale-Moncada in August of the previous year. No doubt some “Winter Meetings” trades are actually taking shape right now. There’s nothing wrong with that; it’s a tough world out there. And the potential labor situation is looming HUGE, as Jeff Passan wrote about this morning.
Rosenthal is the Woj is baseball, Passan is the Shams. I think Schefter and RapSheet are pretty much equals when it comes to football insiders.
Given the state of the market, I don’t see Chapman opting out. He’s great, don’t get me wrong, he’d get very good money, but I don’t think he’d get any or significantly more than the $34.4M he’s already owed. I think he signs a 1 year/$19M extension with the NYY. Takes his contract to 6 years/$105M. Not sure how much better of a deal he’d find anywhere and the Yankees are willing to pay him $17.2M AAV already..
Blue Jays and Mets pitching have both been overrated only double-y so for Giles’ injuries and for Stroman’s struggles now that he’s on the Mets.
Are you a yankees fan? In my view, this is wishful thinking from NYY fans. Unless Aroldis’ arm fall off by end of October, there is no doubt he will opt out and top 2/35. He’s still very much elite and at minimum, he will sign a 3/45… but my guess is it will be closer to 3/54.
Yes, I am a Yankees fan. That’s my point, though. If he feels and the league effectively agrees he is worth around 3 years/$54M on the open market, Chapman and the Yankees should just add 1 year/$19M (what’s $600k?) on top of the 2 years/$34.4M and all call it a day. It’s very clear to me that Aroldis Chapman is a baseball mercenary- he went back to the Yankees because they offered him the largest contract out of everybody by about $1-6M, I believe. But I also believe that he cares about winning and relevance. I mean, maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he’s like Greinke- he’d be happy to make the most money possible on any club willing to pay him and if he’s on a less competitive club that languishes at or below. 500 throughout his contract, the money is still green and his numbers are his numbers.
But I’d like to believe Chapman is competitive and wants to prove himself on the biggest stage possible- I never thought a guy with his profile would become a Yankee but here he is and he’s effective for the Yankees and the Yankees pay him top dollars- I say just maintain that relationship and add a year and dollars to reflect current market value.
My only wonder is this: If the Yankees believe they can install Britton or Ottavino as the closer, still under contract for two years and Chapman walks for the most money possible, do they just divert his intended funds elsewhere? Would losing Chapman to the Opt-Out make it easier to take care of guys like Judge, Sanchez, Paxton, etc.?
You seem to forget that after he became free after the Cubs won the WS, he opted to sign with the Yankees. Most likely, the Yankees will offer an extension with a raise and we’ll have to see whether he accepts or balks and tries to optimize in the Free Agent marketplace…but that’s a good baseball fans opinion…not just a yankees fans opinion!
“that’s a good baseball fans opinion” LOFL, he’ll be here all week folks, and don’t forget to try the veal
And now they will have to rely on that bullpen as it is. Poor Yankees.
(This is sarcasm.)
yeah i dont see the “we could really use him” comments. their bullpen is, well, what was expected for the most part, and more importantly, mostly healthy. dont know how adding a guy on the IL already was going to be that much of a priority for them.
First off the trade deadline is a month past, so who cares. Secondly you have a nut saying Cashman is cheap. Loser
I’m just a lurker Texas fan but I have no clue how anyone can call Cashman/Yankees “cheap”!
Dude, calling Cashman cheap is just a dumb opinion from folks who know nothing about Yankee baseball!
When other GM’s can’t or won’t make a trade, sign a player, it’s understood that the team has budgetary constraints, wants to spread the wealth and they’re viewed more like the A’s or the Reds- mid-budget clubs who really have to be careful about their spending and really do spread their funds around rather than focus on some big splashy name- or they make modest contract swap trades. Yankees are known for having those big ‘whatever it takes’ purse strings where guys get traded to them to alleviate financial pressures for the other club and the Yankees have an albatross but it isn’t seen as badly because it’s the Yankees and they collect albatross contracts. It’s what they do!
But I think now they really want to be a balanced club, to not over pay guys, to make analytical decisions and match the market price point or get someone to give them a discount in order to be a Yankee, etc. So they spend more carefully and it doesn’t look as splashy because there’s no one massive deal, yet they still spend as much or more than other clubs- but perception is reality.
@TrillionaireTeamOperator Well said.
Who would the prospects be?
I’m thinking probably Domingo Acevedo, Yoendrys Gomez, and probably a low-tier prospect
acevedo was cut
There are so many more “almost traded” deals than there are “actually traded” deals between teams.
Its almost like thats how things work. Did you think there’d be more deals than almost deals?
I almost got a girl pregnant once.
You pulled out of the deal?
Rosenthal’s sources pale in comparison to mine. I happen to know for a fact that the Seattle Pilots were in on Babe Ruth and nearly acquired him from Boston back in 1918. The Pilots refused to meet Harry Frazee’s asking price of $85,000 plus a package of Fred Talbot, Greg Goosen and Jerry Stephenson. Seattle countered with $75,000 plus Gary Bell and Jerry McNertney. When the deal fell apart, Ruth was sent to the Yankees, and well, you know the rest.
For all we know Toronto could have been asking for Garcia and or Florio as a Yankees fan I would’ve pump the brakes on those talks as well if those were the prospects mentioned
Trade Clint Frazier this winter, just get rid of him.
Hard to imagine the Yankees being that high on Giles unless it was a package involving Stroman. Over 4 weeks after the deal and suddenly Rosenthal is “breaking” this story? Sounds like an organization made a deal with Rosenthal; break this false story and you get an exclusive down the line, or access to be named later. Guessing the team is Toronto. They are motivated to move Giles at season’s end with his stock dropping (slightly). He was so good the first 4 months he has nowhere to go but down.
Waiting for Cashman to deny this story within the next couple days, or ignore it altogether.
Not what they needed! Playoff starter rental..end of story
Yanks get Cole and mike minor.. easy and done deal.. strikeout artist and a ground ball machine.
Cole, Sevy, Tanaka, Minor, German
And happy as a spot starter long relief
and paxton goes where?
Will have to trade for Minor (who Texas values VERY highly) as he has one more year on his existing deal. With Texas moving into a new stadium, smart money is on Texas re-signing Minor unless someone blows them away with a trade offer.