BREAKING: Osuna In, Giles Out in Shocking Blockbuster Trade with Toronto

The Houston sports world was hit with a bomb shell just a few minutes ago by Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. According to Ken, the Astros have completed a trade that would send Ken Giles and more to Toronto in exchange for Roberto Osuna.

Giles struggles in 2018 have been well documented - his production has risen to a new level of volatility, but perhaps what did him in was the instability he brought to the locker-room. When you step back and consider that Ken Giles punched himself in the face after a particularly ugly outing this season, got into a war of words with AJ Hinch after being pulled from a game, melted down in the playoffs last year, and always seemed to be under performing his peripherals , it makes some sense that a change of scenery may be the best thing for the polarizing flamethrower.

On the other hand, Roberto Osuna brings more than his fair-share of controversy. Earlier this season, Osuna was issued a 75-game suspension (expires August 4th) for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. Osuna plead not guilty and we have no idea to what extent the allegations are true, but its still a strange look for a team known for having great chemistry and a ‘good-guy’ atmosphere.

Osuna has appeared in just 15 games in 2018, but has a 2.93 ERA / 2.06 FIP in that time. Last season, he posted a 3.38 ERA / 1.74 FIP with a 11.67 K/9 strikeout rate and a 1.26 BB/9 walk rate in 64 innings pitched. His suspension expires on August 4th.

UPDATE:

In addition to Kenneth, the Astros will be sending David Paulino and Hector Perez to the Blue Jays.

Jeff Luhnow’s comments on the trade: