BOCA RATON, Fla. – The General Managers Meetings in Boca Raton, Florida is underway, and one of the names being discussed throughout the league in trade speculation reportedly involves Philadelphia Phillies closer Ken Giles, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
Salisbury writes:
"The Phillies lost 99 games, the most in the majors in 2015, and even with some improvement could struggle to keep that number under 90 as they move into Year 2 of their rebuild in 2016. A number of contending clubs such as Boston and Detroit are looking to strengthen the back end of their bullpens. Add up these two realities and Giles could be a very valuable trade chip for the Phillies. He is already drawing interest and it will likely intensify as the offseason develops."
At the meetings, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak told The Philadelphia Daily News' Ryan Lawrence that trading Giles "is not a goal", but the organization is "trying to be opportunistic at every turn and trying not to operate in absolutes."
Giles, 25, took over the closer role last season upon the July trade of Jonathan Papelbon, who became the franchise leader in saves on May 13. Giles successfully recorded 13 consecutive saves in his new role before giving up an extra-innings lead on Sept. 23 against the Miami Marlins.
If the Phillies decide to part ways with their closer to get back talent "that would speed the team’s rebuild", notes Salisbury, the franchise would have one impressive statistic to raise the Albuquerque, New Mexico-native's trade value.
Giles is the Major League Baseball all-time leader in career ERA (minimum 100 innings pitched), according to FanGraphs.com. He leads former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel by a 0.07 margin.
The General Managers Meetings will conclude Thursday. It will be the last official meeting between each of the league's clubs until the Dec. 7-10 Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
