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KANSAS CITY — Each stellar Ken Giles outing earlier this season had Ross Atkins smiling.

Not because 100 Miles Giles was helping the current edition of the Toronto Blue Jays lock down another win, but because the right-hander was pitching himself into position as one of the best relievers available on the July 31 trade market.

If it weren’t for an elbow that’s been barking since early June, that would still be the case.

Despite the elbow tightness that has left the 28-year-old unavailable for manager Charlie Montoyo to go to at times since an IL stint sidelined him until June 20, Giles’ numbers are still elite, leaving contenders and potential trade partners with some digging to do prior to Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Giles has tried to ignore the noise.

“It is what it is,” said Giles, who wasn’t ready to pitch in Monday’s series opener against the Royals in Kansas City. “If it comes to that point and it happens, I’m just going to ride with it. I don’t try to think about it.

“I love being in Toronto, I love being around these guys. We’ve had some bumps here and there but these young guys have a knack for learning and they want to be successful and you see that fire in them. It’s hard to want to leave something like that because you can see the fire.

“I would love to be here long-term if that were the case, but as of right now I’m just going day by day.”

His 1.54 ERA is sparkling across 35 innings, but the underlying numbers are just as impressive, including a 1.60 FIP that’s second in baseball among qualified relievers, well ahead of the man he was traded for, Roberto Osuna, who has a 2.68 ERA and a 3.18 FIP.

In terms of total value, Giles has accumulated 1.5 fWAR is sixth in baseball among relievers, ahead of Osuna’s 1.1 fWAR figure.

The goal here isn’t to compare the two, but provide a picture of how last year’s trade deadline deal with the Houston Astros has worked out as well as Atkins could’ve hoped.

It was supposed to help the Jays recoup some of the value lost when Osuna’s run-in with the law forced the club to cut ties and sell low.

But the elbow issue is throwing a wrench into things, even though the velocity has been intact and the performance hasn’t changed.

With another season of control to go after this one, Giles should’ve been in high demand this week, but now his value is in question and Atkins, like so many of his other trade chips over the past couple of years, may have to offer a discount if he’s motivated to move him, rather than hold off until the winter meetings.

There’s a recent history of relievers bringing back intriguing packages at the trade deadline, however.

Consider these four trades:

2018 trade deadline

Cleveland gets: LHP Brad Hand and RHP Adam Cimber

San Diego gets: C Francisco Mejia

Hand was the prize, but Cimber turned into a solid piece, as well. It did, however, cost the Indians one of the top catching prospects in the game, one who resided in everyone’s top 50. The shine has come off Mejia a bit, however, and it’s debatable whether he’s a long-term catcher.

2017 trade deadline

Washington gets: LHP Sean Doolittle and RHP Ryan Madson

Oakland gets: LHP Jesus Luzardo, RHP Blake Treinen, 3B Sheldon Neuse

The Nats gave Treinen and his filthy sinker a chance to close games that year, but he wasn’t ready for the job and Washington, a World Series contender, decided to pivot. It cost them dearly. While Doolittle has been solid, Treinen quickly developed into one of the best closers in baseball by The Bay — for one season, at least — while Luzardo has turned into one of the game’s best pitching prospects.

2016 trade deadline

Chicago gets: LHP Aroldis Chapman

New York gets: SS Gleyber Torres, OF Billy McKinney, RHP Adam Warren, OF Rashad Crawford

This is the trade that will forever be the gold standard for dealing a closer at the deadline. Chapman helped the Cubbies break a 108-year curse, but Torres was a prize for New York, one who’s now a big part of their revitalized core. The 22-year-old middle infielder has slashed .291/.358/.504 with 20 homers in 76 games, making him worth 2.6 fWAR already with half a season to go.

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Cleveland gets: LHP Andrew Miller

New York gets: RHP Justus Sheffield and OF Clint Frazier

Miller was dominant in Cleveland, helping the Indians push the Blue Jays out of the way in the 2016 ALCS. In Sheffield, the Yanks got a player that helped them pry James Paxton away from the Seattle Mariners this past winter, while Frazier could help them add more to the arsenal ahead of Wednesday's trade deadline.

It will likely be impossible for the Jays to match any of those deals, especially with the wonky elbow and the fact Giles has already melted down in the postseason with the Astros and carries a 11.74 ERA across 7.2 innings, but he’s still in demand.

Giles has already been traded twice, so this is nothing new.

The first time he was the big fish, heading from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Astros on Dec. 12, 2015, in exchange for a group of five pitching prospects, including former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel.

Last summer, after a couple of highly-publicized dugout blowups in H-Town, he was shipped to his current home in Toronto alongside righties Hector Perez and David Paulino in exchange for Osuna.

Giles has learned from those experiences and the Jays coaching staff has had nothing but good things to say about the fiery right-hander’s demeanour and clubhouse presence since he arrived.

“They’re both different, but, overall, there’s a reason behind it all,” said Giles, who’s making $6.3 million this season and will take his final trip through the arbitration process this winter.

“Sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise and you need to go through it, go through those experiences and learn something new out of your comfort zone. I’ve had some way ups, and I’ve had some way downs, all the way to rock bottom. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t take it back because I’ve learned something from each of those occasions.”​