Phillies Smart to Deal Ken Giles?
By Ethan Witte
The Philadelphia Phillies are seriously considering dealing away their hard-throwing, young closer.
There are a number of credible sources reporting that the club has Ken Giles on the trade market as the MLB Winter Meetings approach. By now, any baseball fan that has been paying attention to the ‘Hot Stove’ has seen that the market for relief pitchers is heading towards the insane level.
The San Diego Padres cashed in their biggest trade chip in closer Craig Kimbrel in a deal with the Boston Red Sox in return receiving a package which included two prospects who are among the top 100 in the game.
The Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes seems to be heating up rather quickly, with one national reporter saying that the Reds are seeking a return on the ‘Cuban Missile‘ that would make the Kimbrel package seem light by comparison.
Within that same piece, it is mentioned that the New York Yankees have considered moving Andrew Miller, their free agent prize from just last season, in order to capitalize on what is becoming a very lucrative market.
Among all that action, the other big name that keeps popping up is Giles, the Phillies young righty flamethrower. Multiple sources have stated that he is available, but that the price is high:
Other teams say the Phillies want 2 or 3 high-ceiling prospects back if they move Giles. Prepared to hold him for now if they don't get that
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 20, 2015
It is very interesting to note that even though the team is “downplaying” the idea of trading Giles, it is no secret that they have actively gauged the market on what he might fetch in a deal.
So, let’s make that deal!
No, I’m not going to sit here and speculate wildly as to what the team might receive in return. Instead, what I will do is consider the type of package it would take. What would the Phillies be asking for in return for Giles?
New general manager Matt Klentak has been very vocal in his desire to add young pitching to the system. It is no secret that when teams have come calling to the Phillies about their closer, the first thing they have been asked about is their best pitching prospects.
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That price is fair, especially considering that the team does not have to deal Giles at this time. There is no reason the Phils shouldn’t shoot for the stars at the beginning of negotiations. We should be able to safely assume that Klentak wants at least one strong, young starting arm to lead the package.
What else might be of interest to the Phillies? Catching depth is always nice to have, since it is such a volatile position. Former general manager Ruben Amaro obsessed over it, asking for teams’ best catchers as he was peddling Cole Hamels.
Now that the Phillies boast at least two solid catching prospects in Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp, to say nothing of young Deivi Grullon in the low minors, it is unlikely that the catching position is a priority.
Making our way around the diamond, we can probably scratch off first base as well, for two primary reasons. First, that position can be taken over by someone who can’t hack it at another defensive position, but who still has the thunder with the lumber that the Phillies want to keep in the lineup. Second, there is a high probability that first base is where Maikel Franco is headed in the future. So, let’s move on from there.
Shortstop is out. The Phillies have one of the top prospects in the entire game coming rapidly, possibly as soon as later in the 2016 season, in shortstop J.P. Crawford.
For the first time in a while, the team’s minor league outfield situation is filled with genuine MLB-caliber prospects, led by names such as Nick Williams, Roman Quinn, and Cornelius Randolph.
With players like current young major leaguers Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr, the team has lots of young talent across the outfield. Any addition here would probably have to be a legitimate big-time bat, as the club now has at least five players who project as, at minimum, major leaguers. The outfield, at least for now, is not the priority. What does that leave us with?
In searching for a legitimate return for moving the best trade chip they have, it might be most prudent for the Phillies to look for a third baseman in addition to that starting pitching. Of course, Franco is there now, and can play passable defense at the ‘Hot Corner’, but his ultimate destination is probably across the diamond. The Phillies don’t have much organizational depth behind him. Adding a young stud third baseman would do wonders for the continued rebuild.
In return for Giles, it might be a package that includes a top pitching prospect, a good young third baseman, and another piece or two would be enough to make the deal happen.
Of course, there is always another legitimate avenue of thought, that the positions don’t matter, and the simple accumulation of high-end talent is most important. But that examination of Phillies needs helps in whittling down potential trade targets, and gives prospect evaluators a place to begin researching more specific trade partners.