Philadelphia Phillies: Would a Ken Giles reunion make sense?

As the Philadelphia Phillies vie for their first playoff berth in a decade, everything must be viewed through the lens of “What can help us get to the postseason and win this year?” And so it was somewhat intriguing to see a familiar face hit the waiver wire, when reliever Ken Giles became a free agent after refusing a minor league assignment with the Seattle Mariners.

Might a reunion between the Phils and “100 Miles” Giles be in the cards?

Giles splashed onto the big league scene in 2014 with the Phillies, pitching excellently that season and the next before being traded to the Houston Astros that offseason in a move which ushered in the Vince Velasquez era. And even though the trade never really hurt the Phillies since they were so bad at the time that a fireballing reliever wasn’t going to move the needle for them, it’s always been interesting to wonder what Giles would have done long-term in a Phillies uniform.

Ken Giles might be a useful addition for the Philadelphia Phillies down the stretch.

To be clear, any kind of move to obtain Giles’ services at this time would not signal a lengthy commitment. Any team who kicks the tires on him for the home stretch of the 2022 season would be doing so purely to use him as a hired gun. Now, the question is, would he fit on this Phillies team?

Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies’ braintrust deserve some credit not just for fielding a winning ballclub in the thick of the playoff hunt this year, but one whose clubhouse culture really seems to be making a difference, if recent comments by some of the players are to be believed. And so a move for Giles, or anyone really, would have to be made very carefully so as not to disturb what’s going on.

Aaron Nola began his MLB career in mid-2015, making him the only current Phil to have been teammates with Giles in Philadelphia, albeit for a fairly brief amount of time. Giles, despite being drafted and developed by the Phillies, doesn’t have many ties to the organization as it exists in its current form. Sentimentality would not be a factor in bringing him in.

Instead, it’s the track record of success that Giles posted first in Houston and then Toronto before suffering through several years of injuries that could make him enticing as a rental for a team like the Phillies. His cost right now is only money; no prospects need to be surrendered. The options to improve your team after the trade deadline are very limited, and this might be the scenario with the highest potential reward that presents itself.

To make room on the roster, look at someone like Nick Nelson, who hasn’t been awful this year but has minor league options remaining so that he can be stashed just in case. He’s only pitched in three games since July 26, essentially acting as an arm-saver for the rest of the bullpen in games that aren’t particularly close. The Phillies would not be losing all that much by optioning Nelson.

It’s understandable why the Philadelphia Phillies might not want to bother with Giles. His continued injury problems, the need for the team to spend even more money than they already have, and the uncertainty of how well he would fit on the club are all valid concerns. But the team also has to be careful about playing things too safely. Years after the door seemed to close on Ken Giles being a part of the playoff puzzle for the Phillies, maybe it could end up being fate after all.