Astros are still trying to pry Ken Giles from phillies. If happens, deal would involve some of better prospects.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 9, 2015
We wrote about Ken Giles last week when this came up. While the Astros aren't going to have to give up what the Diam'nd'ac's gave up for Shelby Miller, you can expect this one to sting...if it happens.
UPDATE: Okay, CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury says talks between the Phillies and Astros are "heating up."
UPDATE: Jayson Stark - who basically has "Ill" tattooed on his chest - says he's hearing Lance McCullers will not be a part of any deal. The Phillies want pitching and more pitching, tweets Stark.
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To borrow a couple of paragraphs we wrote last week, here's some quick background on Giles:
He's a 6'2" 205lb 25-year old righty reliever - the Phillies' 7th Round pick in 2011. In 2014 he threw 45.2IP, allowing 25H/6ER, 64K:11BB, finishing 4th in the NL Rookie of the Year award race for his 1.18 ERA/1.34 FIP/0.79 WHIP.
Dismissing that it was an entire fluke, Giles followed that up with 70IP in 2016, allowing 59H/14ER, 87K:25BB - a 1.80 ERA/2.13 FIP/1.20 WHIP. So he has faced 464 batters in the majors, and struck out 151 of them. His 11.19 K/9 rate in 2015 was 13th among relievers with at least 50IP thrown and his 2.13 FIP was 6th.
Giles also fits the bill of the "hard-throwing reliever" the Chronicle thinks the Astros so badly want. Giles throws a 96.5mph four-seamer with an 86mph slider.
He's under team control until 2021, so you can see why the Phillies would be throwing around names like McCullers and Velasquez.
