Feb. 16: The Brewers have announced the signing.
Feb. 14: The Brewers have signed southpaw Wade Miley to a minor league contract, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link). Miley will earn $2.5MM in guaranteed money if he cracks Milwaukee’s MLB roster, and could earn as much as $5.7MM if he makes 29 starts in 2018.
Miley joins former Orioles teammate Yovani Gallardo as low-cost veteran pitching signings for the Brew Crew this winter, to go along with their pricier two-year deal with Jhoulys Chacin. Chase Anderson and Zach Davies sit atop Milwaukee’s rotation and Miley will be competing to fill the fifth starter’s role until Jimmy Nelson is able to return from labrum surgery. The Brewers have also been linked to several bigger-name starters in free agent and trade talks, so the possibility still exists of a major acquisition that would push the likes of Miley, Gallardo, or Junior Guerra into minor league depth or even bullpen roles.
After averaging 186 innings per season since 2012, Miley will provide the Brewers with a lot of durability, though his effectiveness has sharply declined over the last two seasons. The left-hander has a 5.48 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 1.96 K/BB rate over 323 1/3 IP with the Orioles and Mariners since the start of the 2016 season, plus an ugly 17.7% home run rate that ranks third-highest of any qualified pitcher in baseball in that stretch. Never a big strikeout pitcher, Miley’s control also let him down last year, with a career-worst 5.32 BB/9.
2017 was the final season of a three-year, $19.25MM deal Miley originally signed as a member of the Red Sox prior to the 2015 campaign. The contract contained a $12MM club option for 2018, though given the lefty’s tough year, it wasn’t any surprise that the Orioles chose to buy that option out for $500K.
The O’s and Twins both had some interest in Miley this winter, though the Brewers seemed to have an advantage since Miley was reportedly looking to return to the National League. Most of Miley’s success at the big league level came as a member of the Diamondbacks from 2011-14, including an All-Star rookie season in 2012 that saw him finish second in NL Rookie Of The Year voting.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The brewers are fakers
What does that even mean? Itâs a minor league deal. Could easily make the club over gallardo.
I love my Brewers, but it always seems like they do just enough to keep us interested but never enough to push themselves over the top
They interest me
The Brewers, White Sox, Orioles and Aâs always seem to be held back by lack of commitment from their respective owners. They get exploited by other large market teams as a result. Heartbreaking, but oh so sweet when lightning strikes with that once in a lifetime championship.
I wouldnât say the Oâs are exploited.
Yeah they just extend their players for a lot of money just for them to decline.
Then root for a better team.
WSox owner reinsdorf is laughing all the way to the bank with their rebuild. Look at how low their payroll will be thi$ year, CHA CHING
Thatâs what happens in rebuilds though. Brewers were at roughly $60M last year. Now up closer to 95M. Smaller market teams cant sustain a 100M -150M payroll every single year.
No doubt!
Is this an upgrade over Gallardo? Lol. Sounds like nothing is guaranteed and no chance he makes 29 starts lol
Watching them both pitch with the Orioles I’d rather have Miley though both were pretty terrible. Miley is smart and tenacious, solid #5 on a playoff team.
Lol most teams go with 4 starters in the playoffs
He meant getting them there, heâs a reliable guy that will go out every fifth day and eat innings. The other four guys in the rotation would be the guys picking up the Wâs.
Miley had over 5 BB/9 last year. Thatâs not reliable. I would be very worried about my rotation if he was my #5
He wonât even make the team. If he does itâll be a left bullpen arm at the very best.
He averaged less than 5 innings per start last year. Would not call that an innings eater. He is a bullpen destroyer.
Yes he makes the team out of Spring Training
Thanks genius. Since u know all u should probably also know most teams use 5 starters during the regular season.
All I was saying was that he’s better than Gallardo. Really neither should be in a rotation.
Competition is a good thing.
There is value in having a lefty in the rotation. The only potential lefty starter before this signing was Suter.
Suter is unproven so it’s unclear id he will be better than Miley
Uhhh…Suter is definitely better than Miley
Suter has only 100 innings in the bigs and throws an 85mph fastball 70% of the time. It’s not hard to envision a scenario where he ends up getting hit so hard that that he’s moved to the bullpen or minors.
5.5 era, this is the signing that pushes us over the top. You heard it here first
Not even a major league deal. No risk whatsoever.
Handing him a baseball is a major risk no matter what level he’s in
That I agree with lol but at least heâs not taking up a 25 man spot or making 2.5M. Doubtful he makes the team.
Oldest joke during the offseason. Teams sign their minor leaguers and injury replacements and someone comes along and mocks them by saying its the big signing.
But you’re wrong, this IS the big signing
And that is such a hilarious comment following on the Yelich and Cain deals.
I’m sure they went with Miley over guys like Garcia, Vargas, Hellickson, etc because h3 accepted a minors deal. No risk but not the guy we want.
Every 90 minutes this site announces another minor league deal yet Mike Moustakas still doesn’t have one. Are you telling me that a guy with a career .305 OBP doesn’t deserve a minor league deal?
Oh he definitely deserves one but will absolutely never accept a minor league deal.
Your “answer” to Darvish.
Normally, I wouldn’t comment and I believe the whole “answer” thing is over blown.
However, I remember a bunch of Milwaukee fans screaming how they were going to “run away with the division”.
They seem to have disappeared.
They had the right to be excited, I don’t see anything wrong in that. Do you?
A bunch of moron Brewer fans would scream that. Any knowledgeable Brewer fan would understand the Cubs are still the favorites.
But, any knowledgeable baseball fan would know that the same seven teams in the NL that finished above .500 last season will be the same teams that finish above .500 this coming season. None of the teams that had a losing record will reverse that.
No you still don’t get it. The acquisitions of Cain and yelich were huge things in Milwaukee and fans finally, finally, finally had something to be excited about. That makes them morons? Please, grow up already. In all likelihood the Cubs will take the division. If that is such a certainty then what’s the big deal with Brewers fans talking some trash? Come on guys
This is the troll job of the year lmao
Makes me wonder why arrieta hasn’t signed one too.
(rolls eyes)
Spring Training depth. Free analysis from Derek Johnson. Nothing to see here – simply providing more competition… and maybe a reclamation bullpen arm?
Exactly. Letâs push the vets to see if one can step up…
I thought this was a major league deal at first, and I was so relieved because that’d make for a weaker division. I am now sad.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Signed….Orioles fans who watched him pitch last year
Sigh of relief. Now maybe someone can pick up Hellickson too.
Yes, and the rest of the AL East thanks the Orioles for having the worst pitching rotation in all of baseball for 2018.
Guess u missed their point. The Orioles got rid of Gallardo and Miley hence improving their rotation for 2018
No this guy sucks we need a real SP
This is a steal! Wade has spent virtually every day this off season working on improving his pitching and I have seen first hand, he has developed a nasty slider! He will absolutely make the bigs this year, and the brew crew will finally have an ace, Wade Miley…..smiley Miley is what we call him.
…
I know this is probably a troll, but even with a “nasty slider” Miley is no Ace. I’ll be happy if he turns out to be a 4.3 ERA #5 Starter till Nelson comes back, and that’s if we don’t sign anyone else.
He’s going to have a breakout year, I’m certain of it. And no, I’m not a troll.
Amazing that so many people cannot see this for what it is; A no-risk MINOR LEAGUE deal where he only gets paid IF he makes the team. Look what Johnson did with the starting staff just last year. If you get enough guys like Miley and Gallardo in camp and see what they can do, you could very well find a solid veteran at the back end of your rotation.
Plus, how easily we forget that they basically rolled with a 3 man rotation for the last month of the season last year! Need depth!!
we only have 3 pitchers locked in the rotation with a lot of ? after that this is just another option for the 5th starter I believe that the brewers are going to sign one of Lyne, Cobb or Arrieta or trade for a SP
Why are we discussing a pitcher with a 5.5 ERA?
Is Yovanni’s contract a minor league deal?
Something tells me the Brewers might be done.
Both Gallardo and Miley are minor league deals that are not guaranteed. Brewers arenât done.
Yo is a major league deal. I see him as long relief and a pinch hitter.
Yo’s is technically an MLB contract, but it’s a non-guaranteed deal unless he makes the roster out of spring training. Think the plan is to have him work out as a long bullpen guy and see if he makes the roster that way and just have another option for spot starts.
for Yo his contract becomes guaranteed if he makes the brewers 25 man roster
I still cannot see the Brewers getting very far without adding at least some sort of quality SP. Which is a shame, I really like their offense
and yes, i know that this is just a minor league signing, but they still need at least another legit SP if they wanna go far
I agree. Still hoping Cobb and a trade are in the works.
Miley makes 29 starts and still wonât pitch 100 innings
Just what the Brewers need to challenge the Cubs and Cards: a pair of washed up starters who were SO bad they werenât even kept around to compete for spots in the Orioles crack rotation of Ted Bundy, Kevin Gascan and then pray for a blizzard in Mayâas well as June and July and…
*Dylan Bundy Kevin Gausman
Tedâs six feet under…
I think he was joking…
Pretty worked up over 2 minor league signings…if the brewers add a legit starter both could very easily not make the big league club.
The brewers could have done much worse…
They could have signed Ubaldo..
Baseball Reference Projections for Miley/Jimenez in 2018. Is there really a difference. They both throw and ton of pitches, give up a ton of runs and tax your bullpen.
W L W-L% ERA IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BBg SO9 SO/W
8 12 .400 5.17 155.0 169 93 89 23 68 135 1.529 9.8 1.3 3.9 7.8 1.99
7 10 .412 5.66 140.0 153 92 88 24 60 130 1.521 9.8 1.5 3.9 8.4 2.17
They don’t like stats on this site. You will definitely get downvotes if you use them.
My thing is, with so many teams in need of back-end rotation help, why would Miley sign in Milwaukee who needs a front end guy. Great depth move for the brew crew but Miley probably could have made the Tigers, Orioles, Marlins, Royals and possibly Philies/Padres rotations out of camp
Dang it one of my fav AL east punching bags in gone !!!! đ
Don’t worry, their rotation is even worse now with Miley gone!
If the Brewers don’t get some real legit MLB pitching they are likely just the 2015 Padres all over again.
The Brewers made huge strides in adding Cain and Yelich. Those two are both 4+ WAR players vs the 1.6 WAR they got from CF and LF last season. They were a game out of the playoffs. A decent starter like Cobb or Lynn and that is a playoff team. Miley won’t do that, but this deal is a minor league deal. No harm, no foul.
Risk free move but maybe with a deeper motive. (A southpaw option in case Suter is part of a trade package…)
Minor league deal, invite to spring training. Probably will get released midway into March. No harm no foul. Glad to see Stearns has stayed away from the remaining free agents so far.. Just roll with what you have and lets see what they can do.
Lol that’s the brewers response to the cubs getting Darvish. Who the brewers were nevering getting.
The big signing jokes are old. Very Very old
He is bad at throwing a baseball for a living.
I was pretty excited for the Brewers but they are going to need better pitching reinforcements than Gallardo and Miley. Miley might bounceback a bit going back to the NL but both him and Gallardo offered very little in regards to out pitches. Both veteran pitchers that can throw strikes but lack quality strikes to finish. So often watching them both get a guy to 0-1 then 1-1 then 1-2 then 2-2 then 3-2 and then have 4 foul balls before giving up the walk. Lots of 4 1/3 IP with 92 pitches.
Literally 0% chance they both make the rotation, so don’t you worry.
Jeez. May as well bring back Tommy Milone or neftali Feliz. The two âveteranâ scrubs that made the team over guys that deserved it and cost the brewers numerous games.