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Ken Giles

Ken Giles Still Open To Extension Talks With Blue Jays

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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 Avoid Arbitration With Ken Giles

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The Blue Jays have struck a deal with closer Ken Giles for his 2020 arbitration salary, per Scott Mitchell of TSN (via Twitter). It’ll pay him $9.6MM, a $3.3MM on last year’s salary.

Giles is coming off of an excellent season in which he was one of the game’s most effective relief pitchers. While he missed a bit of action with elbow troubles — at an inopportune moment, in the run-up to the trade deadline — he bounced back to finish strong. All said, Giles finished with 53 innings of 1.87 ERA pitching and a healthy compilation of 83 strikeouts and 23 saves.

MLBTR had projected a $8.4MM salary for Giles, but the team obviously felt it had to pay more. The threat of a hearing may have helped move the needle. Uncertainty would be especially unwelcome if the Toronto organization views Giles as a trade candidate.

Quiet Early Market For Ken Giles

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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.

Blue Jays Notes: Giles, Japanese FAs, Gurriel, Hernandez

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While Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles looks like an obvious offseason trade candidate, general manager Ross Atkins indicated Tuesday it’s not a sure thing the team will deal him. “We’ve been really focused on acquiring players. We really haven’t engaged on trading players away much at all,” Atkins said in regards to Giles (per Jon Morosi of MLB.com). The flamethrowing Giles may have been out of Toronto by now had he been healthy at the July 31 deadline, but elbow issues helped prevent a trade from coming together. The 29-year-old was utterly brilliant in 2019, though, as he recorded a 1.87 ERA/2.27 FIP with 14.09 K/9, 2.89 BB/9 and 23 saves on 24 tries over 53 innings. Giles is now going into his final season of arbitration, in which he’s projected to make an affordable $8.4MM.

Here’s more on Toronto, all of which comes courtesy of Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4)

  • The Blue Jays have interest in Japanese free agents (or soon-to-be free agents) Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Shogo Akiyama and Ryosuke Kikuchi, Atkins revealed. Tsutsugo’s a 27-year-old corner outfielder who has smacked 205 home runs in exactly 4,000 plate appearances in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Yokohama DeNA BayStars intend to post him by Dec. 5. Akiyama will try to parlay a strong nine-year run with the Seibu Lions of NPB into a major league contract. The 31-year-old center fielder, who won’t be subjected to the posting system, may have the highest upside of the three when it comes to earning power, as MLBTR projects he’ll rake in a two-year, $6MM guarantee this offseason. Kikuchi, a member of NPB’s Hiroshima Carp, will be posted after eight seasons with the club. The 29-year-old second baseman has not been an offensive standout in Japan, but he has thrived defensively.
  • Toronto’s at least considering using outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez in the infield next season, per Atkins. Gurriel began his career as a middle infielder, but he struggled enough there that the team shifted him to left field in 2019. That experiment paid off, though it’s reportedly possible Gurriel could be an offseason trade chip for the club. As for Hernandez, although the .230/.306/.472 line he put up in 464 plate appearances this year doesn’t look great, he did go on a second-half tear and finish with 26 home runs. But Hernandez had difficulty in center field, where he accounted for minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-7.7 Ultimate Zone Rating. Going forward, he might see time at first and/or second, Atkins suggested. Toronto looks to be in fine shape at the keystone, where Cavan Biggio enjoyed a terrific rookie season, though first is a question mark. Justin Smoak’s a free agent, and Rowdy Tellez didn’t have an especially successful year.

Report: Yankees Nearly Acquired Ken Giles At Deadline

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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.

Blue Jays Announce Flurry Of Roster Moves

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The Blue Jays made a series of roster moves on Sunday, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The club has optioned pitchers Brock Stewart and Justin Shafer, allowing for the activation of Clay Buchholz from the injured list and Ken Giles from the paternity list. In addition, right-hander Nick Kingham has been designated for assignment.

Buchholz last pitched for the Jays on May 5, before a shoulder strain forced him onto the 60-day injured list and kept him out of commission for more more than three months. After completing a rehab assignment in which he made three starts, the veteran will rejoin the Toronto rotation in time to start Sunday’s game. He’ll certainly face some restrictions in his workload as he works back into Major League action; his pitch count maxed out at 67 during his rehab.

After a resurgent season in Arizona last year, Buchholz hasn’t gotten much of a chance to ingratiate himself to the Toronto organization, having made just five starts with his new club. However, that five-game sample hasn’t given the Blue Jays much to be optimistic about, as Buchholz has managed to strike out just 4.4 batters per nine innings, fueling an unimpressive 5.67 FIP. Regardless, he’ll have just over a month to straighten things out and make good on the $3MM contract he earned last winter.

Giles, meanwhile, will return to the Toronto bullpen after a few days away from the game. He’s been far and away the Jays’ most reliable pitcher, enjoying his best season since he was traded out of Philadelphia. In 40 innings this year, he’s posted a 1.80 ERA while striking out batters at a career-best rate. While the 29-year-old, who can be a free agent after next season, may not be a part of the promising Blue Jays’ future plans, he certainly provides a boon to a club that has turned some heads with its young core.

27-year-old Kingham has been on the injured list since early August owing to a strained oblique, and will now be removed from Toronto’s 40-man in favor of Buchholz. While he could remain in the organization, he’ll first need to pass through waivers. He’s already done that once this year, when the Pirates designated him and later traded him to the Blue Jays. Despite his outwardly impressive 3.00 ERA in Toronto, most indicators suggest that Kingham’s performance is roughly in line with the poor numbers that earned him a ticket out of Pittsburgh.

After more than three seasons bouncing between the ranks of the Dodgers organization, Stewart now finds himself doing more of the same, only now with Toronto. Since joining the Jays, he’s already been optioned several times, though he’s shown himself to be a serviceable long-man for the starter-thin Blue Jays. Shafer, for his part, has been a solid bullpen choice for a Toronto organization that has shuttled seemingly dozens of relievers into and out of the Major League bullpen. The 26-year-old has struck out 29 batters in 31 innings, though he has had trouble keeping the walks in check, surrendering 22 free passes for an average of 6.4 per nine innings pitched.

 

Closer Updates: Jansen, Giles, Kimbrel

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Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has received the dreaded “vote of confidence” from skipper Dave Roberts, as detailed in a report from the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett. Following a blown save in Friday’s game against Arizona, Jansen has five blown saves in 2019–matching his combined total from 2017 and 2018. Despite the big righty’s career-high 3.83 ERA entering play Saturday, Roberts seemed generally nonplussed at the prospect of a Jansen demotion. “Do I have any concerns? No,” Roberts told Plunkett. “He’s a guy that I know for us to win 11 games in October, we need him. I know he’ll get there.”

As Plunkett points out, Jansen has responded to his 2019 struggles by altering his repertoire. Typically a flamethrower with a 90% usage rate on his cutter, Jansen has implemented a slider at an 11.3% clip in 2019–his highest rate on that offering since 2016. “Certainly throughout the early part of his career, he just overpowered the league and there was some unfamiliarity there. Now you’ve got to continue to evolve,” Roberts said.

More developments from the world of late-inning lynchpins…

  • Blue Jays hurler Ken Giles has been dealing with a balky elbow for several weeks and could end up on the injured list in the coming days. Manager Charlie Montoyo told Scott Mitchell of TSN that Giles’ arm isn’t “bouncing back” after a July cortisone shot that was intended to quell inflammation surrounding the elbow, and admitted that the team is having a “conversation” about what to do next in regard to Giles. At 49-71, the Blue Jays don’t figure to close many relevant ballgames down the season’s homestretch, but it stands to reason that Giles’ lingering injury would be of concern to a Blue Jays front office that opted not to deal the talented closer at July’s trade deadline. Across 37 innings, Giles has logged identically fantastic ERA and FIP marks of 1.95.
  • Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel hit the injured list five days ago with knee inflammation, but he could rejoin the team for this week’s upcoming series with the Phillies, per Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Kimbrel is expected to “test” his knee with a bullpen session in Philadelphia, although it is unlikely that he will be activated when first eligible on Wednesday. After Steve Cishek’s IL placement this afternoon, Cubs fans will certainly be clamoring for Kimbrel’s recovery.

Ken Giles Still “In Play” In Trade Talks

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12:53pm: The Yankees are “considering” Giles, Jon Heyman of the MLB Network tweets. New York lined up on a deadline deal with division-rival Toronto last season when acquiring J.A. Happ.

12:20pm: Blue Jays righty Ken Giles may not be at full health, but he’s still “in play” in trade talks, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). That seemed increasingly unlikely when it emerged yesterday that the closer had undergone a cortisone shot to treat an elbow issue.

The 28-year-old Giles was clearly among the game’s best trade candidates before his recent elbow woes arose. He’s earning a reasonable $6.3MM this year with another arbitration season left to go. Long known for his talent, Giles also had returned to producing exceptional on-field results to begin the 2019 campaign.

When he came to Toronto, Giles was a bounceback asset. He has done exactly that. In his 35 innings this season, he owns a 1.54 ERA with a hefty 14.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Unlike many pitchers, Giles has successfully limited the long ball, allowing just a pair.

Teams considering an investment of this type want as much certainty as possible. In that regard, the elbow issues are worrying, even if they’ve been deemed non-structural.

That said, the upside is tremendous. Giles carries a monster 20.3% swinging-strike rate this year. He’s averaging 96.9 mph on his fastball, which is down from his peak but still strong. And Statcast thinks he has been a bit unlucky on batted-ball fortune, crediting him with an exceptional .232 xwOBA that’s quite a bit lower than his still-excellent .253 wOBA.

Ken Giles Receives Cortisone Shot, Won’t Pitch Before Trade Deadline

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Blue Jays closer Ken Giles received a cortisone injection in his right elbow today and won’t pitch prior to tomorrow’s trade deadline, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). A visit to Dr. Keith Meister and an MRI exam cleared Giles of any structural damage, but it’s still not a good update with regard to Giles’ trade value.

Giles, 28, was considered to be one of the top trade candidates in the game for much of the summer. Through 35 innings this season, he’s given the rebuilding Blue Jays a dominant 1.54 ERA with 14.9 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. The only reliever in all of Major League Baseball who has topped Giles’ stunning 20.4 percent swinging-strike rate is Milwaukee star Josh Hader. Between that excellence and the Blue Jays’ clear long-term approach at the moment, Giles was as obvious a candidate to change hands as there is in the game. He’s earning an affordable $6.3MM in 2019 and is controlled via the 2020 season through arbitration.

While the latest injury news doesn’t technically eliminate the possibility of a trade, it’s also tough to see the Jays extracting maximum value for a pitcher whose status is somewhat up in the air. President Mark Shapiro, general manager Ross Atkins and the rest of the staff will surely continue to field offers as they gauge how the now-diminished offers stack up against what they might receive in the offseason for a single year of Giles. Toronto will also have to consider the possibility that Giles misses significant time in the final two months and sees his value further deteriorate. It’s a tricky and unenviable situation for the club to suddenly itself in, particularly considering how strong the market for Giles was expected to be a few weeks ago.

Ken Giles Still Dealing With Elbow Inflammation

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Blue Jays closer Ken Giles has long been considered one of the best relievers who could change hands by the July 31 trade deadline. However, there is now serious doubt that a Giles trade will come together this week. Giles continues to deal with elbow inflammation over a month after the issue forced him to the injured list on June 20, manager Charlie Montoyo announced to Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star and other reporters Monday. It was the second straight day the right-hander was unavailable to pitch.

Teams began crossing Giles off their wish lists when he couldn’t take the mound Sunday, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who adds that “his trade value is gone until the winter.” If so, that would be a massive disappointment for the Blue Jays – who could have collected a sizable return for Giles – and for the playoff contender that may have added a dominant reliever to its bullpen for the next season-plus.

Giles, who’s making $6.3MM at the moment, will go through his last trip through arbitration over the winter. With that in mind, the Blue Jays don’t have to trade him this summer. However, considering what Giles has accomplished this season, now may have been the ideal time to move a healthy version of the flamethrowing 28-year-old. Giles has posted good to great production since he debuted with the Phillies in 2014, though this might be his top season yet. Through 35 innings, Giles has notched a near-spotless 1.54 ERA/1.60 FIP with 14.91 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, a sky-high 20.3 percent swinging-strike rate and 14 saves in 15 chances.

Toronto still has other relievers it could move, including Daniel Hudson and Joe Biagini, but nobody in Giles’ stratosphere. If the Jays truly aren’t in position to trade Giles in the next couple days, perhaps it’ll lead teams to step up their pursuits of the other premier relievers who could be available. The Pirates’ Felipe Vazquez, the Padres’ Kirby Yates, the Reds’ Raisel Iglesias, the Mets’ Edwin Diaz and the Tigers’ Shane Greene are among some of the prominent names in the rumor mill. Giants relievers Will Smith, Sam Dyson and Tony Watson looked like prime trade candidates earlier in the summer, but thanks to their team’s recent tear, all three could wind up staying put. Giles may be in the same boat.

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