Former Astros champion making MLB comeback with Braves.
Oct 29, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves fans in the Battery prior to game three of the 2021 World Series against the Houston Astros at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
At long last, a former Houston Astros champion is getting his lifeline back into the bigs.
The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that they have signed ex-Astros closer Ken Giles. Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that it is a minor-league deal but with an invite to Spring Training for Giles, who can make $1.75 million if he gets promoted to the Majors.
The righty Giles, 33, was once the ninth-inning man of choice for the Astros. He logged 61 saves for them in two-and-a-half seasons from 2016-18 and closed on Houston’s 2017 World Series team too. Giles then had a fruitful stint with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 (posting a 1.87 ERA over 53 relief appearances) but was set back by Tommy John surgery in 2020 that cost him the entire 2021 campaign.
While Giles has only made five total MLB appearances since his surgery (with the Seattle Mariners in 2022), he had recently thrown a showcase for interested teams in the hopes of a comeback. Giles is now far removed from some of the maturity issues that plagued him early in his career and will now look to make the most of his shot with the contending Braves.
Giants trade former All-Star pitcher to rival team
Sep 15, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants are sending a veteran pitcher packing (though not very far).
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Friday that the Giants have traded righty Ross Stripling to the crosstown rival Oakland Athletics. San Francisco is getting back minor-league outfielder and shortstop Jonah Cox in return.
Stripling, 34, was an All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2018. He maintained a good level of productivity in recent years too, going 10-4 with a 3.01 ERA and 111 strikeouts for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022. Stripling was not particularly effective though last season for the Giants at 0-5 with a 5.36 ERA over 22 total appearances.
In Cox, 22, the Giants get a versatile player who hit a strong .287 last season in the minors after being chosen in the 2023 MLB Draft. As for the Athletics, they get Stripling in the last year of his contract (at $12.5 million) and can use him as a reliever or as a starter (to go along with the other ex-Giants pitcher that Oakland just acquired last week too).
Joe Kelly leaves people impressed with his dance moves
Joe Kelly is known for being one of the hardest-throwing relievers in baseball, but did you know the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher can also dance?
Kelly left a lot of fans stunned when he showed off his dance moves at a recent event he and his wife attended at Corona High School in Corona, Calif. Kelly and his wife Ashley were challenged to a dance-off, and Joe showed that the pitching mound isn’t the only place he throws heat.
We knew Kelly had some swag when what he wore when the Dodgers visited the White House after winning the 2020 World Series. The footwork he showed in the dance-off was still a surprise, though.
Kelly is in his second stint with the Dodgers after they re-acquired him in a trade with the Chicago White Sox last season. He posted a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances for L.A. in 2023.
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