Padres Rumors: Former Star Reliever Works Out For Friars in AZ

The Padres are scouting former star closer Ken Giles, who has barely pitched over the last three years but is looking to make a comeback.

Former Phillies, Astros, and Blue Jays pitcher Ken Giles had spurts when he was one of the best relievers in baseball. He posted a 1.56 ERA in his two years in Philadelphia, and he had 34 saves with a 2.30 ERA for the 2017 Astros. 

Giles has also had bouts of ineffectiveness and injury over the years, and he's pitched just eight innings in the last three years combined. He's not ready to call it a career, though, and he's throwing regular bullpen sessions until someone signs him. One of the teams showing interest is the Padres.

Ken Giles threw a bullpen today for Padres at their Peoria complex. Continuing pens every Tues/Fri until he’s signed.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 25, 2023

Giles had Tommy John surgery along with a surgery to repair a tendon injury in his middle finger in 2020, and he made a brief comeback with the Mariners in 2022 with five scoreless appearances. Seattle released him in August and he picked up with the Giants, but they released him after just a couple minor-league appearances.

The 32-year-old Giles has thrown 355.1 innings in his career, with a 2.71 ERA and 115 saves. He's had a decent career, but unfortunately for him the thing he's best remembered for is probably the 2018 incident in which he got suspended for punching himself in the face.

Gary Sanchez delivered the knockout punch, then Ken Giles delivered his own. pic.twitter.com/SP5MOqmPxt

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 2, 2018

That incident helped Giles realize how low he had sunk, and he's worked hard to be more emotionally balanced. If he can regain the form on the mound that he had in his best years, he could be a sneaky good pickup for a team like San Diego.