The Mariners announced they have appointed helpers ken giles for assignment. The move brings Seattle’s 40-man roster down to 38.
It’s a surprising development as the Ms had no pressing need for a spot on the 40-man list. Giles also hadn’t taken a spot on the active roster, having spent the last week and a half on a minor league rehab assignment while working his way back from a shoulder strain. The right-hander pitched two scoreless innings with Triple-A Tacoma this week, but the organization apparently weren’t optimistic about his chances of serving a key role in the bullpen at the track.
The move more or less closes the books on a two-year free-agent deal that didn’t pan out as the club had hoped. The M’s have signed Giles for the 2020-21 off-season with a $7 million guarantee. He had Tommy John surgery last October, but the organization agreed to pay him $1.5 million while he recovered from the injury last year. In exchange, they got a potential elite assist who had achieved a 1.87 ERA while beating nearly 40% of opponents in 53 innings in 2019. The deal came with a salary of just $5 million for 2022, which would be a huge bargain if Giles regained his pre-surgery form, along with a $9.5 million club option for the 2023 season.
Giles only made five MLB appearances over the course of this deal. As expected, he missed the entire past season. Although he had hoped he would be ready to go to opening day this year, he suffered a finger injury in spring training that cost him more than two months. Giles made his Mariners debut on June 21 and spent just over two weeks on the active roster. He worked 4 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing just one hit but going with four batters against six strikeouts. In that sneak peek, Giles’ fastball averaged 94.8 MPH and his slider checked in at 84.1 MPH. That’s a solid speed, but less than the respective averages of 96.9 MPH and 86.4 MPH from his 2019 work.
After five games, Giles went down with a shoulder problem that he’s been trying to work his way back from. Between the reduced speed and the shoulder narrowing, the Mariners decided to leave the 31-year-old.
The trading deadline has already passed, so Seattle Giles will have to rely on immediate or disclosure waivers in the coming days. In this case, there’s no real difference between the two as he has well over five years of major league service. This gives him the right to turn down a minor league assignment and still receive the remainder of his guaranteed salary, even if he makes waivers. The league’s 29 other teams will have the opportunity to add Giles for the stretch run. If they all pass, he will almost certainly test agency.
Any team claiming Giles is responsible for the remainder of this year’s salary (roughly $1.5 million). A claiming team would be entitled to the club option, but would also be on the hook for the $500,000 buyout if they declined the option. Given Giles’ lack of experience of late, it seems likely he will forego waivers, although that would be a more than reasonable price if another team believed he could regain anything like his 2019 form.
If Giles clears waivers and is given a free hand, the Mariners would remain on the hook for essentially the entire bill. They would have to pay the buyout for next year’s option, as well as all of his remaining salary for 2022, excluding a prorated portion of the $700,000 league minimum for any time he spends on another team’s MLB roster (that of the signatory association). Should Giles not be claimed and sign elsewhere, he would be a free agent after this season; The 23 team option would not transfer to another team unless eligible for waivers.