Houston Astros interested in trading for Phillies closer Ken Giles
It’s no secret that the Houston Astros are looking for help at the end of their bullpen. They had been mentioned in trade rumors surrounding Aroldis Chapman before reports surfaced of his possible domestic altercation. Even after the recent news, the Astros are believed to still be interested in Chapman’s services if the Los Angeles Dodgers shy away from him.
Other rumors suggest that the Astros are turning their attention to the Philadelphia Phillies’ young closer Ken Giles. Giles is a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher that has a heavy fastball that can reach into the upper 90s. In the past two seasons with the Phillies he’s posted an ERA of 1.56 over 115.2 innings with 151 strikeouts. After the Phillies traded Jonathan Papelbon midway through the 2015 season, Giles closed 15 games for his ball club down the stretch.
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The Phillies aren’t planning on winning many ball games any time soon so it doesn’t make much sense to hang onto a closer of Giles’ value, but he is under team control for at least five more years so there is the possibility they could keep him.
It sounds as if the Phillies want a major prospect in return for Giles. Looking at the Astros’ top prospects, I would think Alex Bregman, Mark Appel and Daz Cameron are all off limits, which means they would likely have to part ways with either Kyle Tucker or A.J. Reed in order to bring in Giles.
That doesn’t seem like too steep of a price for a much-needed closer on a team that is ready to compete. While Luke Gregerson is a solid reliever, he simply can’t stay in the closer role for the Astros if they plan on making a run in the playoffs next year. Giles would give them the powerful arm they need to shut down big games for them.
Other possibilities out there include Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger from the Tampa Bay Rays, Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees and Drew Storen from the Washington Nationals.
Next: Braves keep building with Miller trade haul
Regardless of who it ends up being, the Astros have to fill the hole at the back of their bullpen. It looks like that will have to be done through a trade and it could happen before the end of the Winter Meetings.