MLB Trade Rumors 2019: Top 25 assets

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 20: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) throws a pitch during a MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

12 of 25

DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 01: Pitcher Ken Giles #51 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 01, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

14. Ken Giles

The Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros swapped embattled relievers last season, with Ken Giles heading north of the border in exchange for Roberto Osuna, who was dealing with a domestic abuse charge. Giles, who was previously acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies and given the ninth-inning job for the Astros, never found any sort of consistency in parts of three seasons in Texas but has rebounded nicely this season in Toronto.

The 28-year-old right-hander is in the midst of the best season of his six-year career. Through his first 27 innings, he has a 1.33 ERA and has struck out 47 of the 107 batters he has faced. Giles has saved 12 games and has only blown one lead. His slider has been particularly nasty, and opponents are hitting just .118 against the pitch, whiffing on nearly 60 percent of them, and have struck out 32 times.

Giles had stretches like this with the Astros where he looked dominant, but his fastball always got hit hard. Despite his 97-mph velocity, his fourseamer has been tagged fairly regularly throughout his career. Opponents have hit over .300 against Giles’ heater. His fastball gets tracked very well because there is not much deception to his delivery. However, after throwing his fastball and slider at a roughly 60-40 split the first five years of his career, Giles is throwing them at a nearly 50-50 split this season.

Contenders making a move to acquire Giles for a postseason run will have to bite the bullet and hope that he has put his playoff struggles behind him. Giles imploded spectacularly during the 2017 World Series run and allowed 10 runs in only 7.2 innings of work and was stripped of his closer duties.

Home/MLB