Right-hander Shelby Miller is a free agent that is apparently intriguing some teams around the league. He tells Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that the Giants offered him a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training but he has major league offers from two clubs.
At first glance, it might seem strange that Miller is so popular since he hasn’t really been an effective major leaguer since 2015. Once one of most highly-touted prospects in the game, Miller seemed to be cementing himself as a big league starter with the Cardinals from 2012 to 2014. He went to Atlanta in the Jason Heyward trade and had another strong season in 2015. However, after getting traded to the Diamondbacks for three players, including Dansby Swanson, things went south for him. He posted a 6.15 ERA with the Snakes in 2016 and then only logged 38 combined innings over the next two seasons due to injuries.
Since then, Miller has gradually moved into more relief work, with very impressive results in the minors. In 2021, he pitched in Triple-A while in the system of both the Cubs and the Pirates, throwing 24 1/3 innings with a 2.96 ERA, 37.8% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. He got brief looks in the majors with both clubs but struggled to a 9.24 ERA in 13 games.
In 2022, Miller started the year on a minor league deal with the Yankees but eventually opted out and signed with the Giants on another minors pact. Between the two orgs, he tossed 53 1/3 innings with a 2.87 ERA, 31.2% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate. The Giants selected him to the big league roster late in the season and put him into four games, though Miller put up a 6.43 ERA in that brief showing.
Despite that lack of recent MLB success, it stands to reason that clubs would be interested. Miller’s racked up huge strikeout numbers in Triple-A for two straight years and could be a useful bullpen piece for whoever figures out how to bring those up to the majors. The free agent market for relievers has been quite strong so far this offseason, with Edwin Diaz getting $102MM over five years, Robert Suarez getting $46MM over five years and Rafael Montero getting $34.5MM over three.
Given those robust contracts, it stands to reason that some clubs would look to take fliers on arms that can be had for cheaper. Miller is now 32 years old and has a spotty track record that will prevent him from getting paid at those levels. However, the market conditions seem to be working in his favor and will at least get him a shot in the show with someone. It’s unclear which teams have extended offers to him, but Miller would perhaps be best suited to join a rebuilding club. They would be more likely to have space in their bullpen to take a chance on him and could then look to trade him at the deadline if the gamble paid off.
Most people complain about him but I thank him for his service. He played great for us then got traded and did the honorable thing and stunk up the joint ever since lol.
Hahah
That trade will go down as one of the WORST in this century. Just an absolute fleecing.
It not only was a bad trade, one of the reasons they included Inciarte is because they signed Tomas. Once they realized that Tomas couldn’t play 3rd, they need to open up an OF slot for him, which necessitated getting rid of Inciarte.
AZ had a great young OF with Inciarte-Pollock-Peralta.
End Ender won a couple Gold Gloves and made an All-Star team while he was with Atlanta. Dansby didn’t make his first All-Star team until this season. Was kind of curious how Ender’s average exit velocity at the end was like 67.something MPH there at the end. His home runs sure weren’t cheapies.
I think the Glasgow- Meadows for Chris Archer trade would be in competition as the worst trade of the century
Bartolo Colon trade to Montreal
Mark Teixeira trade to Atl
James Shields trade to Chi
Verlander trade to Hou
Ozuna trade to Stl
It’s probably not quite as bad as the Archer trade, but Seattle trading Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and George Sherrill to the Orioles for Erik Bedard is definitely up there.
Don’t forget Donaldson to blue jays
How’s that?
The Pirates received: Nothing
The Rays received:
Meadows (1/2 of a good season)
Glasnow (1 good season)
Baz (still in the minors)
So it was still a loss to the Pirates but all three guys on the other side were / are constantly injured
That’s cause the results have the pirates lost in translation? Had they held on to each of those players they could have gotten Chris archer type returns and be highly competitive right now?
Marlins got a bunch of garbage for Stanton & Miggy. Best players they got back ended up being Cameron Maybin & Starlin Castro. Also got Andrew Miller but he didn’t get good until well after getting out of Florida.
Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe for Heathcliffe Slocumb. Glenn Davis for Curt Schilling, Steve Finley and Pete Harnisch (for my money the worst trade ever), Larry Andersen for Jeff Bagwell, Steve Carlton for Rick Wise. The worst trade this century has to be Trea Turner and Joe Ross for Stephen Souza (and Wil Myers but the Nats didn’t give up Myers, only Souza, in the three team trade.)
None of the players involved in that trade a relevant any longer.
What about Trea Turner and Joe Ross to Nats for minor leaguer Ott and Souza to San Diego? That also has to be up there for worst trade.
Ott & Souza went to Tampa Bay. That’s how Wil Myers ended up in San Diego.
Dansby Swanson, who has two above average seasons is the worst of the century? Lmao. My team traded Yordan for a couple seasons of Josh Fields
As an Astros fan I vote for this one.
There’s a lot of honorable mentions you guys just listed, but I don’t know if any can top the Archer trade. The Pirates weren’t even really in contention when they made that deal, which makes it all the more awful for them.
Not a good trade but if the Pirates don’t make it and keep all three, they win 70 instead of 62.
In the 4 years since the trade:
Meadows: 2 ok years (Starter WAR), 2 injured years
Glasnow: 2 good but injury shortened years, 2 ok but injury shortened years. He averaged 60 innings per year for each year after the Pirates
Baz: still not in the show due to TJ
Not really one sided. The Pirates should have gotten more but realistic, all 3 were broken parts
Why?
what?
Geepers. Braves stole Swanson from AZ.
Wasn’t at the time. Miller was a terrific young SP when he was traded. Just horrific luck for the Dbacks.
Miller was a terrific young SP
================================
He wasn’t, imo. In the two years before the trade, he had a FIP of 3.96, which is good, but not great. But more importantly, he had a K/W of 2.04, which is barely passable.
But even worse, most of that was based on three great months in 2015. After the ASG, he had a 3.81 FIP. He was about a #3.
FG had a very good article at the time. The writer said that, even without considering the inclusion of Swanson, that the D-backs made themselves worse by adding Miller, and replacing Inciarte with Tomas. And they were right.
Which cliche(s) apply(s)?
A fool and their money are soon to part,
Those who do not learn history are condemned to repeat it.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Use as necessary.
Bloom is on line 2
Cashman on line 1….
Preller on line 3
Cohen on line 4
Dombrowski on your cell phone lol!
Everyone needs spring training arms your players can light up during batting practice.
Boston and Milwaukee
Boston and Denver
I can see it!
Miller has a strong arm, and both Mac Jones and Russell Wilson have struggled.
Miller could start at QB for the Panthers, Jets, or Texans right now and they would be better off.
Red Sox should at least ask what he wants for a mlb deal if he makes the team. The bullpen was so bad what can it hurt? See what the arm really has in the spring and hope a tweak from tek or the pitching coaches can push him over the edge of being serviceable in a mlb pen. AAA numbers are fine and all but when you continue to fail at the highest level with multiple teams and coaches might be a look in the mirror thing. Either way with the pedigree I’d take the low cost flier every time
An ERA of 7.02 over his past seven MLB seasons. That ugliness aside, his numbers in the minors out of the pen the past two seasons have been good, and he K’d 14 batters in only seven MLB innings last year. Certainly worth a look.
I can see why Shelby is still hanging around even without much MLB success recently between his 1st round draft selection bonus and salaries his netted close to 20 million before taxes and agents. That’s much more than most of us have made since 2009 when he was drafted.
He will be the Orioles’ “big” free agent pitcher signing lol.
There is nothing to write about I guess at Trade Rumors. Every time I see any “multiple clubs” headline on some not very good player it never pans out in the end. I don’t see this guy having two major league offers and not taking one before they change their mind. Lol.
I wasn’t convinced of your fresh and incisive insights and wise perspective — until I saw your “Lol” at the end.
Even Socrates couldn’t have said it better.
/s/
Really? You thought if all that yourself?
He will be one of the best relievers in the game next year.
One of the best…250 relievers?
You say that like it is something to be ashamed of. It still guarantees you a million dollar a year job. I wouldn’t mind being the 250th best reliever in 2023.
Maybe the Atlantic League or the American Association.
in that sense isnt the continuous and mindless regurgitation of inane “wisdom” also insanity?
Multiple softball teams in the coed league …
I feel like this is the type of signing the Rays would make and he’ll dominate out of their pen
I actually might rather sign Jason Heyward before I’d sign Shelby Miller. Just shows how desperate teams are for left-handed pitching.
Did he switch arms!? That would explain so much…tell him to start throwing with his right again and he might be a cy young contender.
Waterdog, he needs to break his good arm first then switch. Like Billy Wagner.
Did he switch arms!? That would explain so much…tell him to start throwing with his right again.
When the dust settles, there will be Shelby Miller on a major league roster making barely above the minimum, and a qualified arm at home having not signed for small potatoes. Think Rick Porcello.
Naw. He’s already pitched for the Pirates. Allow us to wallow in our miserly misery without him
Miller’s hard luck season in Atlanta broke him.
As a Giants fan, he was legitimately impressive in his cup of tea as a reliever last year. He struck out everybody. His ERA was marred by one bad outing. I like how the Giants want him back albeit on a MiLB contract. Some team is gonna sign him and be very pleasantly surprised if they use him solely as a reliever. He looked legit unhittable for most of his appearances, with the caveat it was a small sample size.
Shelby’s ERA with the Giants was higher than 6 only because he had one very bad outing against the Padres( which I was at the ballpark to see unfortunately). Before that outing he had a 0.00 ERA averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning pitched!
Absolute steal of a trade for ATL. Miller was amazing for them in that one season though. He almost tossed like 3 no hitters. I hope he can get his career back on track!
Darragh McDonald, thank you for not saying he was, still just 32 years old.
He’s lying. He had no problem calling out the Giants offer of a minor league deal but then he clams up about the other two major ones. I’ve been unjustly investigated far too often to not know this move.
Maybe if he wants to pay his own way to spring training he might be worth a look. Still doubtful. That information is probably being put out there by his agent to see if he can drum up any interest
When will teams learn?
They don’t, and they never will. There’s always a roster spot available for Miller and Billy Hamilton somewhere in the league despite their consistently horrible results. And of course there will be those fans of the teams that sign them will lavish praise on the FO for making such a genius depth move. Delusion knows no boundaries.
Betts was by far the worst trade.
Misread an above username as Freddie Mercury Freeman. Ha. Good for Shelby always gave the Braves an honest effort.
any relation to Flint, Michigan’s own Bert Miller?
He may be a good reliever, but if I was a GM, I would decline the experiment. A major league deal seems unthinkable.
Dude hasn’t had an ERA under 4 since 2015. Lol
Dude hasn’t had an ERA under 4 since 2015.
He’s got a ways to go to catch Edwin Jackson, but it looks like Miller has already been on seven MLB rosters.
The A’s should be all in on Miller
I hope the Braves pick him up.
14 K’s in 7 IP is pretty good. Yeah, his ERA was high but the Giants bad D and small sample size can be to blame.
SF offering only a minor league deal was a bit insulting; a MLB offer with a low base and incentives would have been commensurate.
This is another of many examples where the Giants helped resurrect a pitcher’s career only to see him walk without any compensation.