The Houston Astros, who have spent much of the offseason seeking a closer (if you believe the rumors), have finally settled on their man, reportedly agreeing to acquire Ken Giles from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for pitchers Vince Velasquez and Brett Oberholtzer and outfielder Derek Fisher.
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Playing for the lowly Phillies kept Giles from getting the attention he deserved in his first two seasons, but that should change now that he’s going to a contender in the Astros. He’s a solid get for the Phillies. “Why are the Phillies trading away someone I know for a bunch of people I don’t know?”
Velasquez, 23, broke into the majors with the Astros in 2015, and he went 1-1 with a 4.27 ERA in seven games (five starts). Here he was in his Major League debut previous year.
So, what about the four new faces that will be joining an already stacked Phils farm system? He struck out 151 in just 115⅔ innings of work.
He has an electric arm, and although the Phils will certainly start off using him in the rotation (either in the Majors or in Triple-A to start the season), it’s possible he could one day fill the role left by the departing Giles.
Fisher is a 21-year-old outfielder who played in Single-A this season. Still capable of pushing 100 miles per hour, Giles is coming off two impressive seasons in which he went 9-4 with a combined 1.56 ERA.
Yet, Giles has no more experience than other Astros now in the bullpen. The mystery player is rumored to be another pitching prospect.
Velasquez figures to be a candidate for either the rotation or bullpen in Philly with Fisher probably being assigned to their AA affiliate after spending time the majority of last season in Houston’s A+ affiliate at Lancaster. Velasquez throws hard, but there are questions about whether he profiles as a starter or a reliever long-term.
According to Phillies reporter Todd Zolecki, a fourth player will also be heading to the Phillies in the deal.
At the end of the day, this is a move that makes a lot of sense for both teams.
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The deal was first reported as close by CSN Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, then confirmed as a done deal by Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston and Salisbury.
