The Astros and Dodgers are showing interest in Yankees lefty Andrew Miller, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. Those clubs have long seemed like possible fits, but the involvement of the latter is particularly notable given that the Dodgers had been lined up to acquire Aroldis Chapman from the Reds before his disturbing domestic violence allegations emerged.
Both Houston and L.A. were heavily involved in pursuing Miller last winter, with the Astros said to have made him the largest offer. But Miller chose New York, in part for family reasons, and signed a four-year, $36MM pact that includes equal, $9MM annual salaries.
Just one year into that contract, the remaining commitment looks quite appealing. Miller put up another outstanding season, throwing 61 2/3 frames of 2.04 ERA ball and racking up 14.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. Those numbers are nearly exact matches for his breakout 2014 campaign, and there’s little question that he’d command an even larger commitment were he back on the open market this winter.
Not sure how much I trust Nightengale anymore
He said Baez was traded for Shelby Miller and he said Zobrist had a 4 year/$80 million offer
He said Baez for Miller was a proposed trade. He also said he heard of a rumored 4/80 for Zobrist but highly doubted it.
Boy, Jansen can not be too happy about Dodger’s pursuit of another closer… I wonder if they try to deal Jansen if they get Miller?
That would entirely destroy the purpose of acquiring Miller.
Execs said that Jansen was not happy when they announced the Chapman trade, mainly because he’s in a contract year
Jansen wants to win. We need a better pen. I think he will figure that out. Does he really need another year of saves to be considered a “closer” on the open market?
Jansen’s gonna get paid, whether by the Dodgers or another club hungry for a big arm.
Technically Miller isn’t really a closer. He is a setup man given the fact that he only had one year of experience of being a closer and 8 years of setup man experience.
Technically Bryce Harper isn’t an MVP, since he’s only done it for one year.
That’s the opposite of ‘technically’
Shhhh….nobody tell rick5ful that Miller was a starter 5 years ago….and had been a starter for the 1st 5 years of his career. He didn’t even become the setup man until 2014.
Maybe he would be up set about the champan deal if it happened, but Jansen is a lot better than miller so the closer job would still be his.
A lot better? Actually, Miller is easily the better pitcher. Might want to look up their numbers, fella.
Jansen is a much better prospect with far better K to walks and more velocity., He is developing a Mariano type cutter and age to age, Jansen is far superior. You need to learn baseball “fella”
@dodgerbluebitches
Why do you refer to them as “prospects”? Anyway, Miller threw his FB around 94.5 compared to Jensen’s 92.5 (according to fangraphs) and that was a dip from the year before. Also, it doesn’t indicate him ever throwing a cutter last year. Just a FB and Slider. Not sure what you’re basing your claim on. The only slight advantage Jensen has is that Miller has a higher walk rate.
What would Jansen be angry about he’s better than miller. His closer job is still his
Miller doesn’t care if he closes so Wouldn’t be an issue with Miller like it would be with chapman
Chapman wanted to close and Miller has said he doesn’t care if he’s a closer or not.
I don’t know what the Dodgers could offer that would interest the Yankees. They are looking for controllable SP and the Dodgers seem to need the same thing. Unless there is a Garder/Miller for Puig or Pederson trade brewing (there isn’t) I don’t see how they are a match at all.
I could see a deal along the lines of Alex Wood and Grant Holmes for Miller, and then see the Dodgers go after Maeda.
I like that idea. But would prefer De Leon over Holmes
I guess I could see that.. That would be some pen the Dodgers would have. That is if the Chapman trade goes through. If it doesn’t then they would be in good but not great shape. I bet Miller would go back to setting up with its just him that goes over.
Last I heard the Chapman situation is not expected to be resolved any time soon. If he gets traded it will probably be out of Spring Training. No team will want to wait that long to fill a need they have now.
Dodgers would be insane to give up that much for a setup guy, even one as good as Miller
A setup guy toting a pretty hefty contract besides. The Yankees would have to absorb some of those dollars if they were expecting Wood and Holmes in return.
A set-up guy? Miller’s a closer, a better one than Jansen at that. Btw, no thanks to Wood and Holmes.
A setup guy converted to a closer last year. Wood is a mid-rotation starter with four more years of team control. We should have some idea what that is worth.. Holmes is a first-round draft pick. and current a top-ten prospect for the Dodgers. You don’t get either of them for nothing, let alone both.
Miller is a CLOSER. He was among the best in baseball last year and better than the guy you have doing it now. And he has a very reasonable contract.
Wood AND Holmes only would be a starting points. But clearly not enough for an elite closer. You would need a similar deal to the Kimbrel deal.
Miller was converted to closing only last year after not being a closer for nearly ten years before that. His last two seasons were impressive but not much before then inspires much confidence, and certainly nothing to compare to Kimbrel’s consistently stellar work over the same stretch. Yet even Kimbrel did not net the Padres any MLB-ready players. They got a bunch of low-minors talent, two who look like they might be good in a few years, and a couple of warm bodies.
Yes, Miller was converted to a closer last year. And he succeeded highly in that role. Who cares that not much before the past two years inspires much confidence? He was a starter back then. A failed starter, so he was moved to the pen where he has been one of the best relievers in the game. While Margot isn’t ML-ready just yet, he shouldn’t need more than a year in the minors before he’s ready. Guerra will need more time but still has a very high ceiling. Asuaje is a future utility player (not much value) and Allen has a big arm, a lottery ticket.
Yes, Holmes is a solid prospect, but does it matter that he was a first round pick? Kyle Holder is a first round pick of the Yankees. He’s an elite defender, no-bat-to-speak of SS, and I think the Yanks dropped the ball big time taking him in last year’s draft. I’m really not concerned with where prospects were taken in the draft, only if they have a high ceiling and the chances of them reaching that ceiling are reasonably high.
Not arguing that Miller did not succeed in his conversion (and he would hardly be the first failed starter to shine in relief), but I think it’s way too soon to compare him to Kimbrel. Even if Kimbrel was accepted as a comp, the return on him in trade was hardly overwhelming. Holmes isn’t attractive as a first rounder so much as a top-100 prospect in baseball. You are also undervaluing Wood, who unlike any of the players returned for Kimbrel, is ready and useful now. You need to consider that value on the open market.
What’s with all you dudes saying Miller is better than Kenley?????
Jansen is considered one of the best in the game…after 2016 he will be paid as such!!!
It makes No Sense to get Chapman or anyone else & then trade Jansen for a starter as has been mentioned by a lot of the writers???
Then you’re back where you started!!!…NO BULLPEN!
If you get Chapman you give them both guns and 8 rounds and lock them in a garage an let them fight it out……
or try talking them into splitting the 8th & 9th every week or whatever…Accept it or else!!! Right Now Chapman has to keep quiet & mind his manners or no one will want him!!!
Honestly if it was puig for Miller and a prospect or two I would jump if im the Yankees lineup could be (yankees trade gardener for pitching) ellsbury puig arod tex McCann Bertran headley Castro didi
It’s been rumored that Yankees are interested in Vincent Velasquez of the Astros. Giving Miller for an unproven “prospect” is a strech, but it’s a conversation starter.
I’d hope they could get more for him then that prospect.
Been saying all winter NYY should go after Puig. This might be the opening.
I don’t know that I like the idea of selling Miller off. The only sure thing for the Yankees last season was the back end of the bullpen. I don’t know why they would give that up but I’m also not running a ball-club. It didn’t seem like Betances was upset over being the set-up guy or anything so why break up a really good duo?
I think it’s relative to what they can get. If they can receive an mlb ready or current young mlb pitcher with 3 or 4 years of control with a high ceiling then I think you do that. Our pen was over worked the last two years because of an injured or ineffective starting rotation. I doubt we could get McCullers on a one for one deal but he’s exactly the kind of pitcher the Yanks would probably covet.
McCullers and maybe Bostick for Miller is doable. We like McCullers alot but need Miller more.
I’d guess the Yankees would likely give Miller straight up for McCullers
Agreed. Seems steep to me. McCullers seems like the type they could easily just put in that closer role.
I don’t think the Astros would make that deal. McCullers is the kind of young pitcher they should be looking to sign long term.
I think the Yanks first priority is will be to get a young control able starter for Miller.
McCullers for Miller seems likely to me. Yankees rotation would have 3 very young guys who excelled last year, as well as Tanaka who is still young, and Pineda who was a cy young candidate until after the 16K game against Baltimore- I know he was just about the worst starter in the MLB for his next 12-15 starts. The Yankees have quietly hit their youth movement now. In 2017 the rotation could be Tanaka, Severino, Eovaldi, McCullers (if this deal happens) and possibly Clarkin. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the guys in the huge wave of 2014 int’l recruits becomes something as they collectively seemed to slump in the short sampling of rookie ball last year.
Just to point out, this Dodgers off-season is not as bad as it really seems. Their player position personnel is pretty much locked into place and they should have a strong bench with Crawford, Van Slyke, Hernandez, Ellis and Utley/Peraza in tow. Puig has been so heavily criticized and scrutinized that I think the front office realizes his value is shot and it’s better to keep him (it’s really not that big a deal that Kershaw wants him gone, I don’t think he will abandon his 215M contract in protest). Sure, Greinke hurts, but if emotion is removed from the equation, it’s hard to argue for paying him 34M a year for 6 years past his likely prime. Iwakuma and Maeda would make for a nice recovery and add more depth to the rotation, with the young guys waiting in line. I am happy the front office hasn’t overreacted to the flurry of activity by feeling compelled to make a big splash.
So far it isn’t as bad as it seems, it’s even worse. Iwakuma is no substitute for Grienke on any planet known as Earth, and Maeda at this point is merely a theory. Even if the Dodgers can get him, there’s no telling how long he’d take to adjust to playing in MLB. The irony is the Dodgers would not pull the trigger on Grienke but then signed his “replacement” to the same age, a pitcher who hasn’t exactly been the picture of health. Unless Ryu returns to full strength this is definitely a degraded rotation and overweighted with lefties besides. A big splash is needed.
Well said!