Dodgers sign former star closer

The Los Angeles Dodgers made an interesting in-season move on Saturday with the addition of a pitcher that was one of MLB’s top relief pitchers for several years.

Los Angeles has signed veteran reliever Ken Giles to a minor-league deal, as reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Ken Giles agrees to Dodgers deal. Minors deal.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 20, 2023

Heyman reported last week that Giles spent five weeks training with Driveline, a facility and program known for leading to velocity and pitch-mix improvements for pitchers.

After spending 5 wks training at Driveline Phx, Ken Giles is ready to throw live BP’s Fridays for any interested club looking to bolster their pen. Driveline will provide the metrics/data regarding ride, spin rate, depth of slider, etc. to address any club comfort level.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 11, 2023

Giles, 32, didn’t allow a run over 4 1/3 innings pitched with the Seattle Mariners in 2022.

The right-hander last provided a large sample of success in 2019, when he had a 1.87 ERA and 2.27 FIP, while recording 23 saves over 53 innings pitched with the Toronto Blue Jays. He had five straight seasons with at least 15 saves- 2015 with the Philadelphia Phillies, 2016-18 with the Houston Astros, and 2018-19 with the Blue Jays (he was traded by the Astros to the Blue Jays during the 2018 season).

Giles has had three MLB seasons with a sub-2 ERA and three seasons worth at least 2.0 wins above replacement (WAR), which is a very difficult accomplishment for a reliever.

In 2017, Giles set a career-high in saves with 34 and won a World Series title with the Houston Astros. He struggled in that postseason, however, with 10 earned runs allowed over 7 2/3 innings pitched (11.74 ERA). In the World Series, he allowed five earned runs over 1 2/3 innings.

Giles averaged 97-98 mph on his fastball in his days as a closer. In each of his past two seasons, he averaged roughly 95 mph. It will be interesting to see if his work with Driveline brought some of the velocity back.

For the Dodgers, this is an intriguing stash with nothing to lose on a minor-league deal. Los Angeles is in first place in the NL West with a 29-17 record.