The San Diego Padres, who have fallen out of contention this season, placed outfielder Brian Giles on waivers. The 37-year old All-Star is hitting .296/.391/.424 in 389 AB this year. It might look like the all the power is gone from Giles’ swing, but he’s a .316/.405/.449 hitter away from spacious PETCO Field in 2008. Surprisingly, the Red Sox have claimed on him. Boston has 48 hours to broker a deal for Giles, or at the end of that time the Padres have to decide either to keep him or give him to the Sox for nothing.
Having an abundance of outfielders already in Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Coco Crisp, where would he play? There is speculation that we did it just to keep him from another contender (Tampa Bay?). But then it hit me. The Sox could be more worried about Papi’s wrist than they’re letting on. With it clicking once again, one bad swing could put a serious dent in the career of David Ortiz. If this claim goes through, or if a trade is made, the Sox might DL Ortiz and hit Giles at DH, giving Papi another month off. Ortiz could return in September after the rosters expand, and ramp it up right before the playoffs. Giels would also provide good insurance in case one of our corner outfielders goes down with an injury.
Giles has $2.7M remaining on his contract, but according to waiver rules any team with a record worse than Boston has priority on a claim. He also has a no-trade clause regarding the Red Sox in his contract, so he could block any trade or ask for something in order to waive that clause in his contract.
I heard them talking on WEEI today about how they think Giles is insurance for Mike Lowell’s hip, with the idea being that he could play first base, and Youkilis could shift back to third. That’s not a horrible idea, but considering his veteran status and the fact that Giles has never played a game at first base at the Major League level, I don’t see that happening.
Apparently Brian Giles exercised his no-trade clause and blocked the deal, though the two teams had reached an agreement:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1111893
His family is comfortable there on the West Coast, and he would rather play every day than have a shot at a ring. His choice.
If the Sox are genuinely not worried about Ortiz, then it stands to reason that they placed the claim in order to block the Tampa Bay Rays from getting him. The Rays have been looking for an outfield boost for some time now, but have been unwilling to pay the price of a top prospect for it.
If true, this marks a change in Boston’s outlook on Tampa and the Division. Theo and company are genuinely frightened by the Rays, who continue to resist any efforts at a comeback by Boston. It’ll be closer than what I predicted, but I still think the Red Sox will overtake them by the end of the year.