Less than eight months after the Diamondbacks traded Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte and Aaron Blair to the Braves for Shelby Miller, Arizona has let teams know that the right-hander is available, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Not surprisingly, the Diamondbacks’ asking price for the 25-year-old Miller isn’t nearly as high as the cost they paid for him, according to Passan.
Miller was a quality option from 2013-15 as a member of the Cardinals and Braves, with whom he combined to post a 3.27 ERA, 7.48 K/9, 3.25 BB/9 and 42.3 percent ground-ball rate over 561 2/3 innings. Because of that consistent effectiveness, the Braves first deemed him worthy enough to receive in exchange for star outfielder Jason Heyward in December 2014. The Diamondbacks then decided he warranted a Swanson, Inciarte and Blair package a year later.
While the Diamondbacks thought they were landing an in-his-prime, top-of-the-rotation starter, their move to give up Swanson (the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft), a solid center fielder in Inciarte and Blair (a 2014 first-round selection) for Miller was universally derided. No one expected Miller to experience such a precipitous fall from grace, though, as the D-backs optioned him to Triple-A on July 14 after a nightmarish 69 1/3 innings in the majors. In his first and potentially only season in Arizona, Miller has logged an ugly 7.14 ERA. A lousy K/9 (6.49) and BB/9 (4.41), not to mention a dip in velocity, have contributed to his struggles. He also missed some time earlier this year with a finger injury.
Thanks in part to its disastrous Miller gamble, an Arizona team that had designs on a playoff run entering the season is in last place in the NL West at 40-57, 18 games behind division-leading San Francisco and 13 out of a Wild Card position. And now the Tony La Russa- and Dave Stewart-led franchise looks ready to bail on Miller, who’s on a $4.35MM salary this year and is scheduled to go through arbitration two more times.
Gogerty
Wow, that just got uglier for that front office.
rhino777.rs
man the braves traded a now minor leaguer in Shelby miller for a possible gold glover in inciarte , a cornerstone player in dansby Swanson and idk about Blair though
petfoodfella
Blair is terrible. They should send him back.
trkatl77
Let’s not rush to judgment on Blair just yet. He has had good results in the minors and is off to a rough start in the majors. Not all that uncommon. I still think he will be a piece of the rebuild in Atlanta.
chesteraarthur
Aren’t all of their young pitching specs struggling in some form or another?
Gogerty
All of their pitching prospects are young. Give them a year or two of actual experience and hope they turn it around.
chesteraarthur
Which ones are you talking about? Newcomb is what, 23? And most are about 22. Alard is young.
Look at the ages of some of the better pitching prospects.
RunDMC
Not only many of them being young, a few high-upside arms we got coming off injury, including Fried, Banuelos and to a certain extent, Allard took some time getting started, but he’s rolling now. No, there’s no one producing with consistency like top pitching prospects, but they’re showing results. Can’t wait until a year from now.
klesko 2
In the majors? Pretty much, except Foltynewicz. All the big talent is sill in the minors.
chesteraarthur
Banuelos is 25. Look at the aging curves on pitchers. They tend to peak younger and decline faster than position players.
petfoodfella
Eh, I’m willing to write him off. He’s terrible.
Salionski
Ever heard of Glavine, Smoltz or Maddux? None of them would have ever had the careers they did if the teams wrote them off for struggling early in their careers.
dabraves7
Can’t stop laughing at Banuelos being mentioned in the same breath as Fried and Allard,
kster224488k
I’ll rush..he is pathetically awful
jesb0787
Hahahaha. Might be my favorite headline I’ve ever read on this site.
swaskito
I wonder if the yankees are willing to bet on him
marinest21 2
Dave Stewart at time of deal: “If my gut tells me to do something, I follow my gut.”
Dave Stewart now: “Contrary to eight months ago, I am now using my brain when considering how to do my job.”
Priggs89
Lol this is hilarious.
kiddhoff
D backs will trade Miller back to Atlanta for Blair straight up.
kster224488k
I wish…they can have Blair back for free..he is terribly terrible
mj450
The package of Swanson, Blair and inciarte might have been enough to get Sale
Philliesfan4life
Your prolly right, Swanson might be the next trout to break the majors.
kster224488k
you’re kidding right? Not even close bud, maybe a poor man’s Derek Jeter
dabraves7
Ya, I was gonna let that one slide, but now that you mention it, I’d say calling him the next potential Trout is far beyond what his dream world ceiling is. Anything is possible I guess. Two words though, Kevin Maitan.
Priggs89
Another high prospect and a high ceiling lottery ticket, and it could’ve been VERY close I think.
Definitely could’ve gotten Quintana, who is also better than Miller.
olereb
I hope the braves get him back
Gogerty
Would be hilarious.
chesteraarthur
You’d have to believe that there is a 0% chance the d-backs front office would trade him to ATL. But it’s the dbacks, so….
petersdylan36
Absolutely no reason for the D-backs to trade him. That would make them look like the worst ran ball club ever. They need to keep him until he is a free agent, or close to, and hope that the first 4 months were a fluke.
BlueSkyLA
How they look doesn’t matter half as much as Miller being a sunk cost at this point. If the D’Backs are really trying to move him now, the message is whatever problems he’s had this season can’t be fixed. With those overtones, who’d want him, even for nothing?
chesteraarthur
Every team in baseball would take him for nothing.
BlueSkyLA
Only if they could keep him in the minors.
chesteraarthur
Which every team can….Do you understand baseball?
A'sfaninUK
Dave Stewart purposely ruined this team, he’s a spy for San Diego. He will quit and go back there.
Ray Ray
Not surprisingly, I would still be okay with that if it proved true. Couldn’t happen to a better bunch of D-Bags.
olereb
I don’t know what they are asking for him, but if I am Coppy I am finding out. I would love to have Shelby back
ranger421
Doubt they would deal with Braves. But I wonder if they would trade him back to Atlanta.
staypuft
Talk about selling low…
TJECK109
Pirates
tylerall5
I wouldn’t be surprised, could be a low cost high reward guy, especially if they give up a minor prospect for him.
bucsfan
I wonder if a guy like Harold Ramirez would be enough. Maybe another guy in that same range. Ramirez is never going to make the big league club, blocked by too many people.
dwilson10
I wonder what their asking price is. They definitely can’t sell him high like the Braves did.
chound
I should laugh but I can’t. I feel horrible for DBacks fans and Miller.
Ray Ray
I don’t feel horrible one iota, so allow me. AAAAHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA! Ahhh. That was nice.
SupremeZeus
Every other team in baseball should be on the horn w/ Uncle Dave. The all-time sell low candidate? Miller will probably develop into an all star when he gets away from the Dbacks Org. & Mike Butcher. The shear breadth of Stewart & LaRussa’s front office incompetence defies belief. Ken Kendrick is going to let them burn that franchise to the ground completely.
deadmanonleave
It sure did. The trade looked awful at the time and it’s only got worse.
johncena2016
I honestly feel like Miller would perform a lot better on pretty much any other team. He still has a lot of talent in the tank.
Connorsoxfan
A bag of baseballs from someone, and maybe half a broken bat if they’re feeling generous 🙂
brandons-3
The Braves would happily take Shelby Miller and the latest top pick of the Diamondbacks for Manny Banuelos, Lucas Sims, and Hector Olivera. 😉
olereb
I don’t know who to blame, not a d-back fan, but is this not asking to be fired. First you have to show a little patience, Shelby will come back strong, he has too much talent to not do so. I am a braves fan, I just love watching Incarte, hadn’t hit much, but as long as he keeps average 260, he is going to play for me. Blair is going through a rough stretch now but he will be alright,a good 3 or 4, and then you add Swanson, those idiots should be fired
Brat922
Agreed. I think Stewart is mucking up his job. Just like the Pads, all this doesn’t help teams. Chaotic and massive trades. Miller is still worth his salt. The Giants will take him!
jjdunckley
Come on Atlanta, make it happen! See if we can include Jim Johnson so we can open a spot for Storen.
brandons-3
In all seriousness, Shelby Miller isn’t as bad as his numbers show this year. If the price is truly lower, then I would trade for him in a second. His true self is much closer to the pitcher he was from 2013-15 than in 2016. Yeah, it’s a lost year for him, but don’t know why Arizona would sell low when it’s highly likely, if not probable to expect him to bounce back next year.
olereb
Brandon I agree 100 percent, just hope Coppy is smart enough to get him back
smrtbusnisman04a
If the Rays asking price for Chris Archer is too high, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pirates take a look at Shelby Miller.
ilikebaseball 2
Kevin Towers be like, “told ya, you could do worse than me!”
Ray Ray
I have a strong suspicion that Shelby Miller will pay off big time for his next team. It wasn’t that long ago that he was a more highly ranked prospect than Jose Fernandez. The pressure on him after that ridiculous trade package for him basically set him up to fail in Arizona. He had no chance after his first bad start. I’d love it if the Rox could get him on the cheap (perhaps for Kyle Freeland) and have Shelby replace JDLR after moving him somewhere.
davidcoonce74
I don’t think it was pressure as much as terrible mechanics that nobody can seem to fix. I think the Rockies are looking for high-velo pitchers at this point, and Miller isn’t quite that right now.
Ray Ray
It is foolish to only go after one type of pitcher. First off, that makes you very vulnerable because there is not a real difference between your starters from day to day. If you have a three game series against a team, you don’t want three guys that top at around the same speed and throw virtually the same pitches. The best way to build a rotation is to have a several different styles of pitcher. Have 1-2 high velocity guys, have 1-2 high control guys, have 1-2 pitch to contact GB guys, possibly even a wild card like a knuckleballer thrown in their just to vary it up from game to game.
Priggs89
“If you have a three game series against a team, you don’t want three guys that top at around the same speed and throw virtually the same pitches.”
You do if they’re really good.
Ray Ray
But they aren’t really good if hitters know what to expect. The art of mystery is more important than stuff. Guys can catch up to even 100mph now because they see it so often, but if you are not used to what is coming even a junk baller can succeed. Why do you think Steven Wright has all of a sudden become so successful? It’s because people are not used to seeing the knuckleball.
rivera42
It’s going to be hilarious when Arizona deals Miller away for a third of what they parted with for him. Dave Stewart rules!
Aoe3
ITs a good thing stewart isnt a stock investor.. Buys a stock for a premium, it goes down 40%, ok time to sell! miller should be able to regain his value when he sorts himself out..
Rememeber Encarnacion in 2011? He got sent down to the minors when his strikeout % was high, and he struggled at 3b… He went down to the minors, trained with Cano’s hitting coach in the offseason and came back an all star in 2012.. they moved him to 1b as well..
Dbacks have no clue how to run a baseball organization. Good thing they wasted 200mill on one pitcher! That’ll sure help em!
D
rivera42
Apparently, they’re also looking to move Greinke. However, they want a big package for him AND they don’t want to eat any money. The sheer incompetence of Stewart and La Russa is mind-boggling.
Really, if another team is dumb enough to just take Greinke off their hands for a bag of baseballs, the D-Backs should be doing backflips.
BlueSkyLA
Source?
chesteraarthur
mlbtraderumors.com/2016/07/cafardos-latest-sox-d-b…
BlueSkyLA
Thanks. Reading this story it does not appear that the D’backs are actually “looking to move Grienke” as much someone is willing to speculate about what it would take to get him if they were. Kind of different.
hanks1hammer
I am sorry to see this. I don’t blame the D-Backs. It’s just sad. I want the Braves to “win” the trade but not like this.
Philliesfan4life
I might sound crazy , but next year angels will need pitching. What could the angels give up to get him? And he would be under control for 3 more years
rycm131
Dave Stewart needs to be fired immediately. That’s like paying way above blue book for a car, having the engine go out and then trying to sell it for the same ridiculous price
You paid.
BlueSkyLA
You are making the unsafe assumption that they are trying to recover anything close to the purchase price. Even if this rumor really is true (which I doubt), they could not be expecting more 20 cents on the dollar for Miller at this point.
rycm131
True. But aren’t you making the unsafe assumption that this is not true? I’m not saying fire Dave Stewart simply because of this, I’m saying do it because of who he traded to get him in the first place, the Grienke deal, his work in Toronto and now this.
chesteraarthur
Shelby Miller is an ace in the making, the dbacks are gonna win 94 games and they’re gonna make the playoffs. Woops.
BlueSkyLA
Miller was putting up ace numbers before this season so anybody who correctly predicted that he’d fall into a deep hole the moment he moved his game to Arizona should buy more lottery tickets.
chesteraarthur
2.4/.5/3.4 fwar over the last 3 years. 2.1 avg over the last 3 years. Not an ace. Even the 3.4 last year, not an ace.
BlueSkyLA
WAR is pretty meaningless especially when you have any number of better ways of looking at a pitcher’s performance, and obviously it doesn’t make any sense to include this year if you are comparing to his work prior to this year.
chesteraarthur
Why is WAR meaningless? What is your better ways? And I didn’t include this year. Good TRY!
chesteraarthur
What are these number of better ways to see Miller as an Ace?
BlueSkyLA
You said, “over the last three years,” Easy to interpret that to mean “over the last three years.” Among the many problems with WAR (not to start a religious debate) is that everyone likes to quote their favorite flavor of the stat and pretend like it answers any and all questions and ends all debate.. ERA, WHIP and GB rate are good places to start. On that basis Miller would be welcomed on just about any team as a #2 starter, looking at his performance 2013-15.
Priggs89
Which numbers did he put up that were “ace numbers”? I have a hard time seeing any…
TJECK109
He is a AAA ace
bruinsfan94 2
Would love for the Red Sox to get in on him.
McGlynn
You must hate the Red Sox then hahaha
cubsfan24
If I’m a GM I’m calling Dave Stewart right now and telling him I’m looking at a couple of his players and I have some magic beans burning a hole in my pocket
bravesfan 7
Miller’s actually putting up really good numbers in the minors. I don’t think they should give up on him yet
sunset117
It would be dumb to give up on him when a quality pitching coach could probably ensure he’s a legit 3 agan
Brat922
Yep, true that! And I know just the guy. #wearsorangeandblack
Ray Ray
A Cincinnati Bengal? A Halloween decoration? A needlessly vague hashtag? #ithinkwehaveawinner
bravesfan 7
Barry bonds
sunset117
I wonder if az would trade Miller for just Swanson…. It would be hilarious and should mark the end of a tenure if it hapoened
Priggs89
If AZ was smart, they would. That being said, that’d be an awful move for Atlanta.
Salionski
They probably would. I doubt there is even a remote chance that Atlanta would though.
kster224488k
No way in hell…PERIOD.
The Ghost of Bobby Bonilla
“Hello Dave, this is Neal Huntington. I have a limited edition Luis Gonzalez bobblehead that I might be willing to part with for Shelby Miller. We would even sweeten the deal by throwing in the rights to our 2012 #1 draft pick if you toss in that Goldschmidt guy.
Ok, LaRussa says yes? Alright, let’s get the paperwork done”.
AndThisGameBelongsToMySanDiegoPadres
Worst run organization: Diamondbacks, Padres, Reds, Orioles or White Sox?
chesteraarthur
Worst run? Dbacks. I really want to know what’s up with the O’s coaching staff though. Their inability to develop/keep healthy pitchers makes me curious if it’s time for a change
Ray Ray
Depends on what part of the organization you are looking at. In terms of giving away the farm for nothing, the Diamondbacks. In terms of not getting enough for their trade chips, the Reds. In terms of poor year to year improvement, the Orioles. In terms of the ADHD constant changing of the plans, the Padres. But with each of those categories I would probably put the White Sox in 2nd place. So overall, I would probably say the White Sox are worst.
easternshoreorioles
The Orioles have been the best team in the AL East since 2012. Not sure how you can call them a poorly run organization.
lucienbel
I don’t know about best, because on any given year a team in the AL East seems to make a run for that title. They’ve certainly been the most consistent and competitive though.
As for their ability to develop pitching, it’s not a whole lot different from other teams in the AL East either…they just don’t have the money and resources to swing deals to supplement the pitchers they can put out there. But I agree, tough to call the Orioles poorly run when they seem to be able to keep themselves in it on a consistent basis.
Salionski
The Braves do have Omar Infante sitting in the minors right now. Dave Stewart values ridiculous accolades like all-star appearances highly. Miller and Infante have the same number of appearances now, so that obviously makes it a fair deal…right? Sigh. Obviously I’m being sarcastic, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if he did do something like that.
I hope this is the end of Dave Stewart’s career. I wouldn’t wish him on any fanbase.
lucienbel
The fact that any GM could value All Star appearances (namely position players with the fan vote) at a high level is too bad. Not that they’re worth absolutely nothing…but it seems like a professional shouldn’t be relying on fan selections with any even moderate degree of confidence.
TradeAcuna
Trade Blair back to the D backs for Miller.
kster224488k
In a split second..hell,they can have Blair back for free as far add I’m concerned
andm
I think if the price is right, its worth seeing if Shelby can turn it around somewhere else.
SixFlagsMagicPadres
It looks like things are coming full circle for the poor Diamondbacks. Dave Stewart’s seat gets a little warmer every day…
kster224488k
Ah the poor poor Diamondhacks