Braves sign former World Series champion to minor league deal
The Atlanta Braves announced their list of non-roster invitees to spring training, and there was an interesting name on the list.
And if everything works out, it could be significantly impactful for the 2024 season.
The Atlanta Braves have signed former Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners reliever Ken Giles to a minor league deal. The signing includes an invite to spring training.
In their press release announcing the non-roster invitees, the organization notes Giles' 2017 World Series championship with Houston.
In his career, Giles has a 14-18 record and 2.71 ERA with 115 saves across parts of 8 MLB seasons. He's featured excellent strike throwing and swing & miss stuff, with a career 33.3% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate, both better than MLB averages.
Giles, 33, is attempting a return from multiple arm injuries that have limited him to only 4.1 major league innings since the 2020 season, all with Seattle in 2022. He had Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss most of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and has been in the minor leagues of both the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers as he's attempted to return to a full-time MLB role.
Giles worked out at Arizona-based Terra Sports over the offseason for interested teams, with his fastball hovering between 93 and 96 mph. Apparently it was promising enough for Atlanta to extend him a minor league deal. He will make $1.75M if he makes the MLB roster, per reports.
Other signings announced via this release include former Cincinnati Reds infielder Alejo Lopez and former Kansas City Royals catcher Sebastian Rivero, both also invited to spring training.
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