The New York Yankees were very quiet at the trade deadline, but they almost closed a deal for Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles.
The New York Yankees‘ approach to the trade deadline was perplexing. They failed to add a starter and didn’t even make a serious move to bolster the bullpen.
However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yankees nearly completed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays for Ken Giles.
“On the day of the trade deadline, the Yankees and Blue Jays made significant progress on a deal that would have sent reliever Ken Giles to New York, according to major-league sources,” wrote Rosenthal. “The Jays were set to receive three prospects, and informed the other clubs pursuing Giles they were going to be moving him elsewhere.”
Giles was dealing with injury problems at the deadline. It’s safe to assume that his elbow issues might have scared away the Yankees at the last moment.
Giles was able to stay healthy this season and he’s dominating opposing hitters. He’s sporting a 2.05 ERA and a career-best 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
As a result of the Yankees’ cold feet, the Blue Jays weren’t able to deal Giles. That’s sure to stick in the craw of Toronto’s front office. Toronto can still move Giles in the offseason or at the 2020 deadline, but his value will decrease as time goes on. He’ll be a free agent in 2021.
Yankee fans will remember Giles most from the 2017 Houston Astros. During the ALCS that October, Giles gave up three runs in three innings against the Yankees although his struggles weren’t enough to derail Houston. The Astros would go on to beat the Yankees and win the World Series.
