Seattle Mariners: 3 takeaways from reported signing of Ken Giles

2) A familiar face with championship pedigree

As we mentioned in the previous point, Giles used to be a member of the Astros. As such, the Mariners and the fans should be fairly familiar with him after his tenure with their divisional rivals.

The 2011 seventh round draft pick spent two and a half years in Houston and left his mark on the organization during 166 appearances. This included a 3.57 ERA, 61 saves and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Giles’ most impressive season for the Astros came in 2017, when he recorded a 2.30 ERA, 1.037 WHIP and a career-high 34 saves. He proved to be an invaluable part of the roster which went on to become World Series champions that year.

We understand that critics will point to the Astros being found guilty of cheating that season, and how it helped improve the production of players. In this respect though, we would point out how Giles performed just as well — if not better — following his move to Toronto.

NEXT: AGGRESSIVE APPROACH