Phillies: 3 trades to bolster the bullpen
By David Esser
Ken Giles, Toronto Blue Jays
If the Phillies by some miracle find themselves in a position where they could make the playoffs this year, then they should send it all in on closer Ken Giles.
One of the major reasons the Phillies front office has alluded to when speaking about their lack of free agent signings this winter is the ability to be flexible at this year’s trade deadline. In plain speak, this simply means that owner John Middleton wants to evaluate how good their current roster actually is before committing to paying the luxury tax.
Enter Ken Giles. Yet another player that the Phillies were linked to last year, Giles ranked as one of the best closers in all of baseball in 2019. He finished 44 games in 2019, 23 of them which resulted in a save. He recorded a stunning ERA of 1.87 while also posting an absurd WHIP of 1.000. Known around the league as “100 Miles Giles” due to his blazing fast four-seamer, Giles is a strikeout machine.
The Toronto Blue Jays made it clear last year that they are looking to sell off some of their older players when they dealt away their ace in Marcus Stroman. With Giles it should be no different. He turns 29 this year and is set to hit free agency in 2021, where he’ll likely not be looking to re-sign with the Blue Jays.
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Giles was drafted by the Phils back in 2014 and had two incredibly impressive seasons as a Phillie before being packaged away. He won a World Series with Houston in 2017 and quickly established himself as a household name. The storybook return of Giles coming home to Philly just seems too good to be true.
This deal only ever happens if the Phillies are pushing their chips all in on a title push. Giles carries a salary of $9.6 million with him which would jump the Phillies over the luxury tax threshold. While it’s unlikely that the Phils will be holding down a playoff spot come this year’s trade deadline, you never know when it comes to baseball.