Giants Sign Former World Series Champion Closer to Minor-League Deal

The San Francisco Giants took a flier on Ken Giles on Monday, signing the former closer to a minor league deal. Giles is expected to pitch for the team's rookie-level affiliate -- the ACL Orange -- on Monday as well.

Giles, 31, was the closer for the controversial 2017 Houston Astros team that won the World Series. He's pitched sparingly over the last few years, however, logging just eight MLB innings in the 2020-2022 seasons combined.

Giles spent most of the 2022 campaign with the Seattle Mariners before being released on August 14. He had mixed results in his brief time there, posting a 0.00 ERA with four walks and six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

The Giants have enjoyed success with reclamation projects in recent years, so they hope to have similar luck with the hard-throwing right-hander. Giles was one of the best relievers in baseball early in his career, compiling a 2.43 ERA with a 12.4 K/9 rate and 65 saves from 2014-2017.