Klentak foresees an acquisition before leaving Nashville
No Giles trade on the horizon, but another deal could be in the works
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- No trade is imminent for Ken Giles, but the Phillies are close to at least one acquisition before they leave the Winter Meetings on Thursday.
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said Tuesday afternoon that "we may have something before we get out of here." Do not expect the move to shake the baseball community to its core. A relief pitcher to solidify the bullpen is a possibility.
"I would say, if anything, we're probably getting closer to the free-agent front than the trade front," Klentak said.
But the trade front is active. Sources said Tuesday the Phillies continue to talk to teams about Giles, who is available at the right price. They have been talking to the Astros and Marlins, although other teams are likely involved as well.
Interest in Giles could increase if the Reds cannot trade closer Aroldis Chapman, who is the subject of a domestic violence investigation. The Reds and Dodgers were close to a trade for Chapman on Monday, but the deal is now in limbo.
• Mackanin, Klentak on the same page
Klentak declined to say if Chapman's situation could intensify efforts to acquire Giles.
"I think there are a lot of factors in discussions we're having," Klentak said. "Some of them are related to free agency. Some of them are related to trades. I think most teams, ourselves included, have multiple balls we're juggling at one time. A player signing here, a player being dealt there can always impact things."
Video: Zolecki discusses trade speculation around Ken Giles
The Astros seem like a good fit. The Phillies certainly know their farm system well. The Phillies and Astros agreed to a trade for Cole Hamels in July, but Hamels exercised his no-trade rights and vetoed the deal.
The Phillies' asking price for Giles is high and understandably so. He has pitched well since his arrival in 2014, and he cannot become a free agent until '20. The Phillies are not pressured to trade him.
The Padres received four prospects from Boston last month for closer Craig Kimbrel, including outfielder Manuel Margot and shortstop Javier Guerra. They were the No. 25 and No. 76 prospects in baseball, respectively, according to MLBPipeline.com. The other two prospects the Padres acquired -- infielder Carlos Asuaje and left-hander Logan Allen -- ranked among Boston's top 30.
Early reports had the Dodgers sending Cincinnati at least one of their top prospects for Chapman.
Theoretically, Giles should fetch one or two top prospects from a team.
Video: MIA@PHI: Franco puts Phillies on board with solo shot
No issues expected with Franco: Maikel Franco filed a grievance with the Phillies, claiming they manipulated his service time to delay his eligibility for free agency. Franco opened the season in Triple-A before being recalled May 15. Franco accrued 170 days of service time, which is two days short of a full season.
Those two days delayed his free agency from 2020 to 2021.
Franco's agent, Ryan Royster, said Monday the grievance will not be an issue for Franco moving forward. Klentak agreed.
"I wasn't here for the first year of his career with the Phillies," Klentak said. "I'm not particularly concerned with there being a carryover or on-field effect."