Ken Giles’ trade value could be hindered by elbow issue

The Toronto Blue Jays are sellers ahead of the trade deadline, but they are facing an impediment with one of their most coveted players.

Closer Ken Giles, who has 14 saves this season, was unavailable Monday and will not be able to pitch on Tuesday either due to elbow inflammation.

With less than two days to go before the deadline, one has to question whether #BlueJays can still pull off a Giles deal. Seems like it would be extremely difficult to get fair value for a guy in his position. Toronto might be forced to wait until the offseason. https://t.co/GdqqjL11of

— Gregor Chisholm (@GregorChisholm) July 30, 2019

Giles did not pitch between July 4-July 17 (the All-Star break took up some of that) due to his elbow. He made four appearances from the 17th-27th but is back sidelined again briefly.

Teams still would want Giles, but they would likely be reluctant to give up much for a player who is dealing with an injury that is preventing him from pitching.

When he has been able to pitch, the 28-year-old has been excellent, posting a 1.54 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this season, with 58 strikeouts in 35 innings.