Former Phillies Reliever Attempting Comeback
The Philadelphia Phillies are continuing to search for some roster additions this offseason as they piece together a team they hope competes for and wins their first World Series championship since 2008. With stars littered across their lineup and starting rotation, the only clear question marks are in the bullpen. They could have gone after the best reliever on the market, Josh Hader, but based on the contract he agreed to with the Houston Astros, they would have increased their already franchise-high payroll even more.
As they search the free agent market for other arms, it just so happens their former reliever, Ken Giles, is attempting his Major League comeback. The Phillies took him in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He slowly worked his way through their pipeline, never being considered one of their top prospects, before making his Major League debut in 2014. The right-hander was great for Philadelphia, recording an ERA of 1.56 across 113 appearances during his two years with the Phillies.
After the 2015 season, they traded Giles and Jonathan Arauz to the Astros in exchange for Mark Appel, Vince Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer, Tom Eshelman, and Harold Arauz. Giles was part of the 2017 World Series championship team with Houston, but was seldomly used after his poor showing during the playoffs. He was eventually shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he spent three seasons, before signing with the Seattle Mariners in free agency. He missed the entire 2021 season with Tommy John surgery and injuries limited him to only five appearances in 2022, which began his journey in the minor leagues.
Now, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Giles is healthy and will be throwing a bullpen session for teams who have interest in signing him as he attempts his Major League comeback.
