Arizona’s recent acquisition of Taijuan Walker gave the team quite a bit of depth in the rotation, and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D-backs have shown a willingness to listen to offers on their starters during this week’s Winter Meetings. Per Piecoro, the Diamondbacks are most open to moving left-hander Patrick Corbin and right-hander Shelby Miller. Elsewhere in the rotation, the Diamondbacks have Walker, Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray, with young right-handers Braden Shipley and Archie Bradley behind them. The asking price on both starters has been lofty, Piecoro adds.
Miller is still young, as he’ll pitch next season at the age of 26, but his first season in Arizona was an enormous struggle, as he posted a 6.15 ERA and saw each of his K/9 rate (6.4), BB/9 rate (3.8), ground-ball rate (41.9 percent) and average fastball velocity (93 mph) trend in the wrong direction. Miller’s struggles led to a Triple-A demotion that would’ve seemed unfathomable on Opening Day, and he also spent time on the disabled list with a sprained index finger on his pitching hand.
While all of those red flags are cause for concern, Miller’s age and the fact that he’s just a season removed from 200+ innings with a 3.02 ERA could certainly make him an intriguing rebound candidate for teams on the hunt for pitching help. Furthermore, the demotion to the minors delayed his free agency by a season, so Miller is still controllable for three years before he’ll hit the open market. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him to earn $4.9MM next year.
Corbin, 27, broke out for the D-backs in 2013 when he posted a 3.41 ERA in 208 1/3 innings with 7.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2014 campaign, but Corbin looked similarly encouraging in a half season when he returned in 2015, totaling 85 innings with a 3.60 ERA, a higher strikeout rate (8.3 K/9) and a lower walk rate (1.8 BB/9). Like most of Arizona’s pitchers, though, Corbin found the 2016 season challenging and struggled to a 5.15 ERA in 155 2/3 innings. His walk rate spiked (3.8 BB/9), and though his ground-ball rate increased, Corbin struggled to strand runners and found himself increasingly susceptible to home runs. With two years of team control and an affordable $4.2MM arbitration projection from Swartz, Corbin makes financial sense for plenty of teams.
It’s not entirely clear exactly how high Arizona’s asking price is, though one exec speculated to Piecoro that the team might be seeking a potential starting catcher. Piecoro cites multiple sources in reporting that Red Sox GM Mike Hazen and his staff checked in with their former Red Sox colleagues on the availability of Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez — not necessarily in connection to Miller or Corbin — so teams with readily available catching help could line up as potential trade partners.
You had a starting catcher in Castillo…
Pitch framing is king.
Look at the candidates they listed though. Both Vazquez and Stewart are defensive studs. Castillo is an offensive catcher which the new saber-metrics guy and Hazen don’t want out of a catcher. They would much prefer a guy that hits .220 but is among the league leaders in defensive numbers vs a guy hitting .270 with bad defensive numbers.
Exactly. Well stated.
I still think Cutch for Miller is an intriguing framework for a deal.
It’s a huge gamble, but if Searage could fix Miller it’s the only top of the rotation MLB ready arm the Pirates could conceivably get for McCutchen.
If the Pirates got the 2015 versions of Cole and Miller, they’d be a likely wild card team and could even challenge if the Cubs stumble.
The problem is that if you get 2016 Miller, you’ve just sabotaged your present and future, so….not sure they’d roll that dice.
This trade popped into my head as well but the D-backs will want a player with more control than McCutchen. His contract would also be a hindrance to the cash-strapped D-backs who have bigger areas of need.
Apparently the Pirates are asking for a ton for Mccutchen, I honestly doubt he will get traded at all.
The Phillies should be all over one of these guys. Andrew Knapp would make sense for the Diamondbacks as a potential long term piece at catcher. They could platoon him and Mathis.
Obviously not a straight up deal but I’d look at Corbin and Ray. The Phillies could use a controllable left handed starter to pair with Nola, Velasquez, and Eickhoff. They’d also be able to keep Thompson and Eflin in AAA where they can work on a swing and miss pitch.
1
Possibly the most dangerous statement in baseball: “We have PLENTY of depth in our starting rotation!”
Yup…just ask the 2015 Mets….
Kind of a bad example considering that as a team they still finished in the top 8 in almost every singnifcant stat. They actually did wind up having a lot of depth, but you definitely have a good point.
Ask the Angels of 2016
2016 mets is what I think they meant to say…
Agreed. Don’t have to look at the Mess. Look at the D-Backs themselves. You can’t have enough.
The Pirates should be talking to them immediately. I don’t know about Miller, but preferably Ray would look good in the rotation.
It’s sad to see the Pirates nearly tearing things down after one bad season.
Ray is not going anywhere. He’s the only pitcher in the D-back rotation headed in the right direction.
DBags have to get out of the Greinke contact, it’s killing them. Trade Greinke
woah another “Dbags” comment.. so edgy
Nahhh just good old fashion rivalry
His younger step-brother taught him that.
Very possibly a trade deadline deal. A contender with deep pockets could take it on if Greinke is performing.
And if Greinke had a stellar, Cy Young type of 2016, no one would be screaming for them to trade him. So I don’t want to hear about the contract any more.
If they trade anyone it should be grenkie his contract hinders the team from signing anyone over like 4 mil a year. yes it’s nice to have an ace but if u have no bullpen what good does it do.
Would you be saying that if they made the playoffs and Greinke duplicated his 2015? No. you wouldn’t.
They wouldn’t have a new front office if that happened. The complete opposite of what you said did happen though and the team has to work in reality not fantasy.
Trade Corbin and Greinke.
why
Because Greinke’s contract is making it extremely difficult to sign anybody to the team right now. Corbin because he is mentally week and even though he had a bad year still had some value.
Braves should offer Blair and a lower level hitting prospect for Miller….add salt to the wound LOL
Idiot
How bout Tillman, Brach, prospect of choice (but not a top), and comp. balance draft pick for Miller and Corbin. Let’s D’backs upgrade pen and swap two uncertain for one certain, if less upside, starter. Let’s the O’s gamble for starting pitching and save a couple mil.
Idk if the O’s would trade Tillman, he’s really their #1 guy. Heard they’re talking extension with him too. I think the O’s would really benefit by adding a few starters though, just without losing Tillman.
that would be a bad trade
Yankees will be inquiring about some of these young pitchers, I think they would give up some of their excess prospect talent for one of these pitchers like Bradley. Maybe a package of Mateo, Kaprelian, and Fowler.
Doubt Kap gets dealt but I could see Mateo being on the move for a starter
Maybe the cards could trade for Pollack. They need an outfielder. Maybe a trade centered around Adams could interest the diamondbacks.
Why would the diamondbacks be interested in Adams they have Goldy? That’s not very well thought out.
I was just mocking cardinal fans. Seems like any trade suggestion involves Adams and Rosenthal.
Adams is a 1st baseman. Snacks have Goldy. What would that do for them?
LOL at Cardinals fans that want Pollock. Dave Stewart isn’t the GM anymore. You want AJ, talks START with Alex Reyes.
they would have to give the dbacks reyes, grichuck, and another good player or prospect
Rockies send Carlos Gonzalez to Arizona for Robbie Ray and prospects
Yea one year of a coors based power talent for their best young potential talent, add Rodgers and you may have something. Owens is horrible.
hell no
Ellsbury for Greinke. Contract for contract. One can dream
I’m sure the Braves will ask about Shelby Miller but I am 100% sure the DBacks will not trade him back, they’d give him away to another team rather than be had by the braves on another deal.
I’m a D-backs fan that would trade him for Inciarte and never look back.
DBacks fan here too and I would also trade Shelby for Inciarte. As much as it would hurt the DBack fan ego.
tru
Blair and flowers for miller? Lol
no
For now, AZ has to hold on to Greinke to re-establish his value some more for a July 31 trade. Otherwise they will need to eat too much of that contract… remember, the reason to move Greinke is to save money… dumping him AND paying a lot for it doesn’t make sense. The McCutchen talk is intriguing especially if they can goose up his numbers in Chase for another July 31 deal that brings back a haul. Yasmany Tomas and his $55.5M over the next 4 years needs to be moved to the American League… package him with a Corbin or Miller for a defense-strong catcher and prospects.
Spot on for Greinke. Also agree on Tomas, Basically would just have to give Tomas away to an AL team in exchange for the salary relief and get no real prospect in return. It seems then the needs for the team are another great defensive metric .220 hitting starting catcher and a great defensive left fielder (Think Ender Inciarte… ugh still pisses me off that he was included in the Miller deal LY). If you can sign the catcher or LF with money saved on Tomas and trade for the C/LF with Corbin or Miller I’d be happy with the offseason.
Tomas and Corbin.
To yankees for
Mateo
Warren
Clippard
Gardner
And Salary relief
ok
Sick to my stomach over the Dave Stewart era. Yuck!
I’m a sure that hazen would love to have a team bite on Tomas. I thought Toronto might possibly be interested if they lost EE and bautisa before they signed morales. Baltimore maybe if they fail to resign trumbo. Maybe Tomas and Corbin to Baltimore for Bach? I would do that if I was the dbacks.
Don’t see a match between the Red Sox and the D-Backs. Sox already have a surplus of SP, while their catcher of the future is still an unknown. That being said, maybe they can sell high on Sandy Leon, who’s not a premier framer but ranks slightly below league average (still better than Castillo) and flip a couple SPs to replete the farm.