Another calm week without much action for the Philadelphia Phillies has occurred. This winter, a former Phillies player has found a new home, this time with the Atlanta Braves.

Veteran right-handed reliever Ken Giles was signed by the Braves to a minor league contract on Friday, the team that won the 2023 NL East. If he chooses to stay with the organization in the majors, he will receive a $1.75 million deal and be invited to spring training camp.

Giles was previously selected by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He joined the major league team and played for two seasons, making his ballclub debut as a rookie in 2014. Giles had an amazing season that year, finishing with a strong 3-1 record, 13 holds, 1 save, and an incredible 1.18 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts in just 45 and a half innings worked. More astonishingly, he only allowed runs in five of his 44 games played and placed fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2015, after pitching for the Phillies for 70 innings with a 1.80 ERA and 15 saves, Giles was dealt to the Houston Astros, where he now serves as their closer. Despite having inconsistent success with the Astros, he was a major contributor to the team’s first-ever World Series triumph in 2017 thanks to an outstanding season in which he saved 34 games and had a 2.30 ERA.

Later on, Giles would have stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and, most recently, the organizations of the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners. His previously bright career has been destroyed by injury problems in 2020 that necessitated Tommy John surgery and severe battles to regain his form.