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The Cubs had the worst bullpen in baseball through the first week of the season, but as a unit it has rebounded quickly and with a collective 4.04 ERA it ranks as the 13th best bullpen in MLB. Still not great, but there has been a lot of improvement. However, with the recent injury to Pedro Strop and unknown status of Brandon Morrow, mixed with Carl Edwards Jr. still not conveying much confidence in big spots, there’s no question the front office is searching for more bullpen help. Especially when it comes to high-leverage situations late in games.
Now, the first name has surfaced in connection with the Cubs pursuit of a late-inning reliever. According to Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez, the Cubs have checked in with Toronto and have asked about closer Ken Giles.
Giles, 28, has been excellent with the Blue Jays this season, saving nine games and posting a 1.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. The righty has a career 2.73 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 319 relief appearances.
Giles began his career with the Phillies in 2014 and was excellent in two seasons with Philadelphia, recording 1.18 ERA and 1.80 ERA in 2014 and 2015, respectively. He then had some up and down seasons with the Astros, including a 34-save season in 2017, when he had a 2.30 ERA in 62.2 innings.
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However, as the Astros made their way to winning the 2017 World Series, Giles, was atrocious in the postseason, allowing 10 earned runs in seven playoff games.
The righty struggled with the Astros in 2018, (4.99 ERA in 30.2 innings) and was then traded to the Blue Jays.
So, there has been plenty of good from Giles during his career, and he’s pitching much better to begin the 2019 season, but he’s been pretty shaky overall since the 2017 postseason.
Earlier this month Bruce Levine also reported that the Tigers and Giants were heavily scouting the Cubs. Will Smith of the Giants and Shane Greene of the Tigers could be potential trade targets for the Cubs before the July 31 deadline.
But for now, we know that Giles is on the radar.
And you know, there’s always some guy named Craig Kimbrel who’s available too.
