Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston has reported the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to send closer Ken Giles to the Houston Astros. This deal was in the works all day and it was just a matter of time before it was completed.
Told #Astros getting closer Ken Giles from Phillies for pitchers: Vince Velasquez, Bret Oberholtzer & OF Derek Fisher, pending physicals
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 9, 2015
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported that a fourth player will be heading to Philadelphia, but that player has yet to be named.
On a Phillies team that struggled from start to finish and didn’t have a lot of desirable pieces, Giles was certainly at the top of the list. The 25-year old native of Albuquerque was outstanding in his two-year stint in Philadelphia. Following the unloading of Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals, Giles took over the closer role and performed as well as you would desire from a young closer. In 113 appearances in his career, Giles boasts a 1.56 ERA, 1.037 WHIP, and 11.7 SO/9, 2.8 BB/9, and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate. He brings the heat with a fastball occasionally touching triple digits, and 2015 saw him really settle in after a shaky start to the season.
While some fans may gripe about the Phillies unloading one of their few promising players, it makes sense in this reliever market and the Astros certainly were a team that needed Giles and had the pieces to send in return. Houston will benefit from Giles’ cheap price tag ($1.5 million the next two years combined) and he won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2017 season.
Lowest ERA in MLB history (min. 100 IP) Ken Giles: 1.56 Craig Kimbrel: 1.63 Dellin Betances: 1.78 https://t.co/9V0V2rURfN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 10, 2015
Velasquez is another fireballer (95+ mph) who was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft. Entering the 2015 season, he was ranked No. 56 in ESPN.com’s baseball prospect rankings. In his nine appearances in the minors last season, Velasquez posted a 1.91 ERA with 12.3 SO/9. Overall, his minor league numbers were solid: 3.28 ERA, 354 SO in 296.1 innings (10.8 SO/9) and a WHIP of 1.134.
The right-hander started seven games for the Astros before being moved to the bullpen where he struggled (5.09 ERA in 17.2 innings), but his 10.2 SO/9 is attractive. Jayson Stark reports that the Phillies could use him out of the bullpen, but long-term plans likely have him in the rotation eventually.
Just talked to an AL exec who thinks that if the Phillies shift Vincent Velazquez to the bullpen, he could be “just as good as (Ken) Giles” — Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) December 09, 2015
Oberholtzer has a little more experience under his belt and while he won’t be a top of the rotation guy, he has shown flashes in the big leagues to suggest he has potential. The left-hander, 26, entered the big leagues in 2013 and in 13 appearances (10 starts), he posted a 2.76 ERA, 1.102 WHIP in 71.2 innings. He’s far from overpowering, but has good control (2.1 BB/9).
Regardless, Oberholtzer struggled in 2014 and 2015 (32 starts, 4.40 ERA, ERA+ 89), but he missed the majority of last season due to injury. Drafted by the Braves in 2008, Oberholtzer is a local kid who grew up in Delaware.
The Phillies’ rotation now projects (despite Stark’s sources) to be Jeremy Hellickson, Vincent Velasquez, Aaron Nola, Oberholtzer, and Jerad Eikoff. Nothing super-special, but the rotation has been worse before in Philadelphia and the youth of it is promising for the Phillies.
On the other side of the deal, the Astros now have a legitimate closer on a team that is ready to win now. Giles may experience culture shock when he realizes that Houston expects to win it all in 2016, which is quite contrary to hoping to not lose 100 games in Philadelphia.
