Ken Giles

Blue Jays closer Ken Giles appears to be making progress in his effort to work back from a forearm strain. He’s “recovering well” and “could be throwing soon,” GM Ross Atkins informed reporters including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter).

This sounds quite promising, though there are still some hurdles left to clear. Giles is due for an MRI and a checkup tomorrow. And he’ll still need to ramp back up without incident once he gets the green light.

The Toronto organization will surely hope for a fairly rapid return. If the team is to make a surprise run, which seems unlikely but can hardly be ruled out, it’d surely help to have the 2019 version of Giles at the back of the pen. Perhaps it’s still possible he could throw well enough to warrant a qualifying offer at season’s end, though that would represent a fairly spendy bet on a player who has had a few injury questions of late.

The more intriguing possibility, of course, is that Giles could get back in the saddle in time to be traded. It’d be a rather tight timeline, and would surely require some faith on behalf of a potential trade partner, but a swap is still possible.

July 28: Giles has been “shut down” for awhile after being diagnosed with a forearm strain, manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters Tuesday (Twitter link via Mitchell). He’s getting a second opinion on the injury.

July 27: The Blue Jays announced today that closer Ken Giles is heading to the injured list, Scott Mitchell of TSN was among those to cover on Twitter. He is still awaiting the results of an MRI on his injured right elbow.

Two new arms will head onto the Toronto roster: Ryan Borucki and Wilmer Font. The club had another opening because infielder Travis Shaw is temporarily away due to a family matter.

It remains to be seen just how significant an issue Giles is dealing with, but the team is obviously concerned enough not only to order an MRI but also to go ahead with an IL placement. The righty dealt with elbow problems last year as well, though he was ultimately able to work back to the mound.

Even a relatively minor injury could doom any thought of a mid-season trade of Giles. He has long seemed a candidate to be dealt, but the Jays evidently never received a good enough offer to make a move. It’s even rougher news for Giles, who’ll hit the open market at season’s end.

Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles will be pitching for his fate as a free agent in 2020. But he says he’s open to staying off of the market entirely, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

That’s not to say that a new contract is a front-burner issue at this point. Giles says he’s “just focused on the season right now,” which is certainly sensible with the sport knee deep in a hurried run-up to competition.

That said, the Toronto closer reiterated his interest in staying with the organization. “If those talks do ever happen,” he said of potential extension chatter, “I’m all ears.”

It could be that this season will require too much of a sprint to allow for the measured development of extension talks. Ongoing economic uncertainty remains a major limiting factor as well. But mid-season chatter is certainly possible and Giles’s willingness to talk opens a potential path for the Jays.

As things stand, the club could have a tough mid-season choice. There’s enough talent on hand to imagine a competitive roster in a short-season format, but it’ll also be tempting to cash in Giles on the trade market. If he makes it through the year on the Toronto roster, the team could consider a qualifying offer and explore further contract talks.

There are still quite a few ways this could all shake out. Giles will have a big say, beginning with his performance on the mound. He acknowledged the importance of this campaign to his career, saying he’ll exercise ample precaution against COVID-19 infection but never considered sitting it out. The 29-year-old has had some ups and downs, but turned in a sparkling 1.87 ERA with 14.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 53 frames in 2019.

Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles seemingly factors as a big potential trade piece. But the market isn’t bouncing with early interest in the righty, per Scott Mitchell of TSN (Twitter link).

That’s somewhat surprising to hear, given that teams weighing the open-market options don’t have many premium relief arms to consider. With Aroldis Chapman re-upping before the onset of free agency, Will Smith stands as the top available arm. If he declines his qualifying offer, he’ll come with draft compensation.

Teams seeking a true shutdown closer with loud stuff wouldn’t seem to have many other places to turn. But Mitchell says the Jays don’t anticipate interest building until some dominoes fall in free agency.

Giles had a hiccup-laden 2018 season but rebounded with aplomb in the just-completed campaign, turning in 53 frames of 1.87 ERA pitching with an eye-popping combination of 14.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. Giles throws hard and gets loads of swings and misses. And the 29-year-old is projected to earn a reasonable $8.4MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

It may be that teams already have a good sense of what the Toronto organization is seeking. Giles was talked about extensively heading into the trade deadline, even after a barking elbow diminished his standing. That health situation may still be of some concern as well, though Giles didn’t seem to have much rust after the trade deadline. Over the final two months of the season, he racked up a 25:6 K/BB ratio and allowed only five earned runs on ten hits in 18 innings of work.