Stud Reliever Reportedly To Hold Workouts For Clubs; Should Red Sox Consider Fireballer?

The Boston Red Sox have impressed so far this season, but there still is plenty of room for growth.

Boston made an effort this past offseason to improve its bullpen and it has done just that so far this season. Last season, the Red Sox had the fifth-worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball at 4.59. The club also had 28 blown saves in 2022.

The Red Sox have completely turned things around and have the eighth-best bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.42 and the fewest blown saves in all of baseball at just two. The additions of Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin along with the growth of Josh Winckowski and Kutter Crawford have made all of the difference in the world.

Boston still could use another arm in the bullpen. One option that could at least be worth consideration is former Seattle Mariner Ken Giles. The fireballer has appeared in just nine games since the start of the 2020 season, but seems to be healthy and reportedly will be throwing a bullpen in front of potential suitors, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"After spending 5 wks training at Driveline Phoenix, Ken Giles is ready to throw live BP’s Friday for any interested club looking to bolster their pen," Heyman said. "Driveline will provide the metrics/data regarding ride, spin rate, depth of slider, etc. to address any club comfort level."

Although he has missed the majority of the last three seasons, he could be worth a minor league deal or veteran minimum big league contract to add even more depth. When he was last healthy in 2019, Giles was in the 94th percentile in fastball velocity, 99th percentile in strikeout rate, 99th percentile in whiff percentile, and 92nd percentile in chase rate.

The righty is an eight-year MLB veteran with a career 2.71 ERA in 362 appearances. Giles began his big league career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014 and has spent time with the Houston Astros, and Toronto Blues Jays, along with the Mariners last season.

There's no way to know how Giles will look in his bullpen, but the Red Sox at least should do their due diligence and give him a look.

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