Mariners sign reliever Ken Giles to multi-year deal
The Mariners have agreed to a multi-year deal with veteran reliever Ken Giles, who has pitched for the Phillies, Astros and Blue Jays during his seven-year MLB career, the club confirmed Friday.
710 ESPN Seattle’s Shannon Drayer first reported the deal last week. Giles has signed on with the club for two seasons with a club option for 2023.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said Friday the 30-year-old right-hander will not pitch in 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October, but Giles could eventually factor into Seattle’s bullpen in 2022 as a closing option.
Right-hander Robert Dugger was designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move, leaving Seattle’s 40-man roster full at 40 players a few days into spring training.
Giles appeared in only four games for Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season, showing dips in velocity in his four-seamer and sinker, and ultimately spent two stints on the injured list.
He was placed on the IL with a right forearm strain after two relief appearances in the Blue Jays’ season-opening series against the Rays, and didn’t return until September.
He pitched twice more after he was activated on Sept. 11, but was shut down again five days later with a right flexor strain. He underwent the elbow surgery not long after and elected free agency in late October.
In 2019 with the Blue Jays, though, Giles threw one of his best seasons, posting a 1.87 ERA across 53 appearances with 23 saves and 83 strikeouts to 17 walks. His four-seamer averaged 96.9 mph that year and his slider 86.4, per Statcast.
Across his seven big league seasons, Giles has compiled a 2.74 ERA in 357 relief appearances with 115 saves. He’s struck out 478 batters while walking 110.
Giles would be the latest to join a Mariners bullpen general manager Jerry Dipoto has overhauled this offseason after the club’s relief staff finished 2019 as the worst in the American League.
“We feel like we are starting to build some stability into a bullpen that really hasn’t been very stable over the last couple of years,” Dipoto said last month.
Seattle acquired hard-throwing reliever Andres Munoz, who is also recovering from Tommy John surgery, and expected to join the club this summer, in the seven-player deal with the Padres at the August deadline.
They signed veteran Kendall Graveman, who converted from starter to reliever in 2020, to a new deal in late October a day after declining his club option.
And they traded for former Rangers closer Rafael Montero and signed former Angels reliever Keynan Middleton in a two-day span in December.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 6:13 PM.
