Blue Jays closer Ken Giles left todays game with what the group described as right elbow pain. Employed to protect a 4-2 Toronto lead in the ninth inning, Giles retired the first two Rays batters he dealt with prior to permitting a Joey Wendle double and then two strolls, and was then eliminated from the game. In a post-game chat with Sportsnets Shi Davidi and other press reporters, Jays manager Charlie Montoyo stated Giles would undergo an MRI to figure out the intensity of the issue.
Any elbow issue is a bad sign for a pitcher, of course, and Giles injury could be particularly bothersome considered that he was bothered by that same elbow last season. Montoyo didnt understand whether Giles present issues were similar to his inflammation issues in 2019, which included a minimal IL stint in June and after that a cortisone shot in late July that didnt cause a shutdown or another injured list placement, though the timing likely avoided Toronto from dealing Giles to a playoff competitor.
Trade speculation continued to swirl around Giles heading into the offseason, and though that talk appeared to diminish once the Jays made some moves (i.e. the Hyun Jin Ryu finalizing) indicating a push towards contention in 2020, he definitely still stood out as a prospective trade candidate if the club fell out of a postseason race. Naturally, in between the expanded playoff structure and the new August 31 trade deadline, it is hard to know if the Jays will consider themselves true sellers in any scenario besides a total collapse over the next couple of weeks of play.
A potential injury not only harms Giles trade worth and the Blue Jays opportunities of contending, however it also injures his market worth as the closer heads into totally free company this winter season. Regardless of his elbow issues in 2019, Giles still delighted in an impressive season, posting a 1.87 ERA, 4.88 K/BB rate, and 14.1 K/9 rate over 53 innings in his first full season with Toronto.
