Jays send Osuna to Astros for Giles in closers swap
SEATTLE — Swapping a closer with on-field problems for one with off-field troubles, baseball’s World Series-champion Houston Astros traded Ken Giles to the Toronto Blue Jays along with a pair of pitching prospects for Roberto Osuna on Monday.
Houston also sent right-handers David Paulino and Hector Perez to Toronto as part of the deal, a day before the deadline for trades without waivers.
“This was one (deal) that made sense form a baseball perspective,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said on a conference call Monday. “Extremely excited about Giles, Perez and Paulino joining the organization. I think for many reasons this deal made sense and it starts with the talent we’re acquiring.”
The 23-year-old Osuna is eligible to pitch in the big leagues starting Sunday after a 75-game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. He has made six scoreless one-inning appearances in the minors since July 14, the last three at Triple-A.
Osuna has not pitched in the majors since May 6, two days before he was put on administrative leave when he was charged with one count of assault in Toronto — which remains pending. His next court appearance is Wednesday in Toronto.
Atkins was asked whether having the bad optics of Osuna returning to pitch for the Jays factored in the decision to make the move.
“We do feel a responsibility to the fans and we do feel empathy for the fans and we ultimately work for the fans,” he said. “That’s how we do our jobs. We are human and it is very difficult for accusations not to influence us in some way. Having said that, this made sense for the organization from a baseball perspective.”
Astros Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers Jr. voiced disdain for domestic abusers in March when video leaked of former Astros prospect Danry Vasquez beating his girlfriend. Vasquez was released following an arrest for the 2016 incident. KRIS-TV aired video that showed Vasquez, still partly in uniform, hitting his girlfriend in a stairwell at Double-A Corpus Christi’s stadium.
“(Middle finger emoji) you man,” Verlander tweeted. “I hope the rest of your life without baseball is horrible. You deserve all that is coming your way!”
“This is the reality of domestic violence,” McCullers wrote. “It’s always brutal, always sickening. We must fight for the victims, video or not. He should be in jail. If you need help, find it. People care.”
Osuna lost 89 days’ pay, which was $2,536,022 of his $5.3 million salary; and the suspension delayed his eligibility for free agency by a year until after the 2021 season.