Mariners allegedly in agreement with RHP Ken Giles in a multiyear agreement

Seattle must really be hell, because it is currently frozen and the Mariners have spent some money out of season. Not so fast! It’s not the money that will really make the team better this season, if that’s what you were thinking. Stay away, because we received a #ShannonScoop:

As team member Zach pointed out, this is the “no, it’s not like this” meme that came to life, as fans begged the Mariners to spend the off-season, so they did … on someone who can’t launch by 2022. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s Ken Giles’ professional career:

• 2014: Invades the MLB with the Phillies, the team that recruited him;
• 2015: Swapped with Astros for Vince Velazquez and a bag of old cell phone chargers;
• 2016-17: Initial fights before being fully starred in 2017. You will probably remember Giles’ hits as “with the exception of one game, not allowing a single race for the Seattle Mariners in 2016” or “eliminating 19 Marines in 10 entries in 2017. ”The arrival of Ken Giles was the most unpleasant sight you can see when watching the Mariners play against the Astros – at least until 2018.
• Unfortunately, Giles was quite disastrous in the 2017 postseason and then fought again in 2018, leading to the infamous punch to the face incident. (The incident itself is quite prosaic; what Patrick Dubuque wrote about it for the Baseball Prospectus is poetry. Go read.)
• This precipitated an exchange for the Blue Jays, when the Astros decided to fully support themselves and switch to the nearest Roberto Osuna, no longer welcome in Toronto after being accused of domestic assault, but apparently more than welcome in Houston.
• Giles was very good for the Blue Jays in 2019, and then less good in 2020, because of a persistent elbow inflammation that started in 2019 and continued in 2020, requiring him to eventually have Tommy John’s surgery in late September.
• And now he’s a sailor.

All that aside, this is a really fun subscription, if you’re willing to be patient. When healthy, “Hundred Miles Giles” was as terribly effective as a Neti pot, as any 2016-17 Mariners’ batsman could attest. Look at this Savant spicy meatball page and remember, this is while flinging for discomfort in the arm in 2019:

Here’s Giles making Haniger smell like a three-digit cheddar:

Also, maybe hiring Giles is a way to convince Kyle Seager to stay around for another year in 2022, or at least not go to an AL West rival, as Seager is responsible for at least four Giles’ eliminations against the Mariners, all by himself:

In addition, despite being a member of the despicable Astros, Giles said the right things after leaving the organization, including offering to return his World Series ring if requested. After his deal with the Blue Jays, Giles told the Toronto Star:

In fact, I am enjoying the game more than during my entire term in Houston. It’s kind of weird to say that because I won a World Series with that team. But it’s like I feel trapped there. I didn’t feel like I was there. Overall, I felt out of place. “

So overall, there is a lot to like about this signing, although it is a fun toy that Mariners fans will have to wait a year to see. In addition, traditional warnings about TJ’s recovery apply, as not all return roads are smooth and Giles is on the first stretch of a long and tedious road. Perhaps the Mariners can join him with the other TJ warriors, Andrés Muñoz and Matt Magill at the complex. In addition, it is encouraging that the team is already investing – even if minimally – in the 2022 team. It would be nice to see more investments in the 2021 team, however, especially as ticket purchase reminders for the season are starting to appear in the people’s inboxes.