Report: Astros get closer Ken Giles in trade with Phillies
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Houston Astros, a surprise success in the AL West last season, came off their playoff run knowing they needed to sharpen their bullpen. So on Wednesday, the Astros swung a trade to acquire Ken Giles from the Philadelphia Phillies, a young righty who is on the verge of becoming one of the game’s elite closers.
[Related: White Sox pick up Brett Lawrie from Athletics for two minor-leaguers]
The deal was first reported as close by CSN Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, then confirmed as a done deal by Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston and Salisbury.
The Phillies are getting even more young players for their rebuild, while Houston gets what could be a key player as they look to contend for years to come.
According to the reports so far, Vincent Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer and Derek Fisher are among the players going back to Philadelphia. Fisher, an outfielder, was the Astros’ No. 8 prospect, according to MLB.com. Both Velasquez (a 23-year-old with a power arm) and Oberholtzer (a 26-year-old), have big-league experience. Oberholtzer has played for parts of three seasons with the Astros, making 24 starts in 2014 and owning a 3.94 career ERA. Velasquez made the jump from Double-A to the big leagues last season, starting and relieving, posting a 4.37 ERA in 19 games.
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In Giles, Houston now has a closer who is younger, cheaper and just as good as many of the other options in the trade market. He’s 25 and under team control until 2021, not even hitting arbitration until 2018. His numbers — a 1.80 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 70 innings — aren’t too far off from Andrew Miller, the New York Yankees closer who signed a $36 million contract last year and is also being shopped this winter. Miller had a 2.04 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. Miller’s ERA+ (which adjusts for a player’s ballpark) was 194, while Giles’ was better at 221.
The #Astros as a team threw 276 pitches 96 MPH+ last year… Ken Giles threw 472 pitches 96 MPH+ last year.
— Daren Willman (@darenw) December 10, 2015
Playing for the lowly Phillies kept Giles from getting the attention he deserved in his first two seasons, but that should change now that he’s going to a contender in the Astros.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
