Ken Giles to close in Philadelphia after Papelbon trade

July 28, 2015

Philadelphia Phillies — The Phillies finally dealt away Jonathan Papelbon, clearing the 9th inning for longtime heir apparent Kenneth Giles. Giles first turned heads at the major league level in 2014, when he posted what was one of the best seasons for a reliever in the game (1.18 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 64 Ks in 45.2 innings). He hasn’t been quite as dominant this year, but early-season nagging injuries may have played a role. We’re guessing he’s already owned if your league is even remotely deep, but if not, he’s a must add. We expect he’ll be the closer in Philadelphia for a good while. Look for Jeanmar Gomez, Jake Diekman, and Luis Garcia to get more looks, holds-wise.

Updated hierarchy: Giles | Gomez | Diekman.