Second baseman Marcus Giles, the younger brother of right fielder Brian Giles, was put on waivers. The Padres owe Marcus a $500,000 buyout of his $4 million option.
Giles opened as the Padres' leadoff hitter but began slumping in May. He was benched for three games after the All-Star break, then saw most of the playing time down the stretch go to utilityman Geoff Blum.
"He had a terrific April for us; he was one of our better hitters," general manager Kevin Towers said. "He just cooled down after that. There came a time where we were in a pennant race and we had to go with the hot hand. At that time we felt Geoff Blum gave us a chance to win ballgames.
"My hope is that Marcus gets back to being a productive big-league player. It just won't happen here in San Diego."
Giles hit .229 with four home runs and 39 RBI.
The Giles brothers grew up in suburban El Cajon, California.
__________
From MLB.com
The Giles brothers' reunion with hometown San Diego lasted only one season.
- Photo2 by Tim Evearitt (file photo)