Big get here for last year’s American League Wild Card Game winners ...
According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston, the Astros have acquired young closer Ken Giles from the Phillies for pitchers Vince Velasquez and Brett Oberholtzer, outfield prospect Derek Fisher, and one additional player.
Giles, 25, boasts a 1.56 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 151/36 K/BB ratio through his first 115 2/3 innings at the major league level. He won’t hit arbitration until 2018 and can’t become a free agent until after the 2020 campaign.
The right-hander can provide a long-term answer at the back of the Houston bullpen.
Velasquez made his major league debut in 2015 and was somewhat of a disappointment, but the 23-year-old right-hander entered the summer as a top-100 prospect and put up very enticing numbers at Double-A. Oberholtzer is a 26-year-old left-handed starter with a so-so track record at the major league level. Fisher was a supplemental first-round pick in 2014 with superb power and speed numbers at the lower levels of the minor leagues. When that fourth player is revealed, we’ll pass it along.
It’s a pretty nice haul for the rebuilding Phillies.
