Giants Sign Former Major League Closer

The San Francisco Giants have added some premium bullpen depth—assuming that a former big league closer can regain his past form. 

Per Giants: The Giants signed RHP Ken Giles to a minor league contract. Giles is expected to pitch for the ACL Orange team tonight.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 22, 2022

It's a minor league contract for Giles, who was released by the Seattle Mariners last week after they waited almost two years for him to be a contributor again at the major league level.  

Giles had signed a 2-year, $7M deal with the M's before the 2021 season, even though the team was aware he wouldn't pitch last year due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. 

But his progress this year hasn't been quite up to par, as he posted a 9.49 ERA in the minors, surrendering a whopping 18 runs in 12.2 innings (13 earned).

When he was healthy, Giles was a formidable closer, having registered 115 saves in his 8-year career, including 60 saves in back-to-back seasons with the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays in 2017-18.

Photo: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports, Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports