The Phillies are “strongly” in on free-agent lefty Andrew Miller, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Salisbury had previously reported the team to be in pursuit of both Miller and Zach Britton. Meanwhile, Fancred’s Jon Heyman suggests that Miller “is going to insist on a no-trade clause” after surprisingly being dealt a year and a half into his four-year pact with the Yankees. Heyman further reports that the White Sox were talking to Miller but now “seem to have pulled back.”
Miller, 34 in May, had a down season in 2018 as he missed brief stints due to hamstring and shoulder issues while also spending a more substantial period on the 60-day disabled list owing to a right knee injury. The result was a 4.24 ERA with somewhat diminished K/BB numbers in just 34 innings of work.
Of course, in the four preceding seasons, Miller was very arguably the game’s best reliever. Once a prized starting pitching prospect, he instead broke out following a move to the bullpen after several years of struggling in the rotation. From 2014-17, Miller pitched to a ridiculous 1.72 ERA with averages of 14.5 strikeouts and 2.3 walks per nine innings pitched. With the exception of the 2017 season, he’s posted at least average ground-ball tendencies on an annual basis, and dating back to the 2013 season, the only pitchers in all of baseball with a better swinging-strike rate than Miller’s 15.7 percent are Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen.
Given his age and the fact that he missed time due to three separate injuries last season, there’s some undeniable risk when it comes to Miller. But, if the Phillies are convinced of Miller’s health, they likely view him as a potentially wipeout reliever whose 2018 struggles may have dropped his earning power a bit. He’d give the Phils a formidable one-two punch at the back of the ’pen, alongside dominant rookie Seranthony Dominguez. Veteran setup options Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek, too, will be back in 2019, with other names such as Jose Alvarez, Juan Nicasio, Hector Neris and Adam Morgan among the options to round out Gabe Kapler’s relief corps.
Should the ChiSox rekindle their pursuit, Miller would join right-handers Alex Colome and Nate Jones as the most established options at the back of what is currently an inexperienced group of relievers.
Teams are literally laughing in the face of Kimbrel after his 100 million dollar request.
Starting high is a good negotiating strategy. Starting so high no one takes you seriously is not.
To be fair if Jansen could get 5-80 mill. It not crazy to try to out do it.
Yea, it’s not that crazy. He has been really good.
It only takes one team to say yes. Then he has company in crazy land.
Just hope it’s not my squad.
Kimbrel should still get 5/$80m, or something close to that, though. Can’t blame the guy for asking for more.
Ironically he wants to beat the contract for Chapman. One that the Yanks regretted in year one. That’s a lot of years and coin for a reliever.
Are the Yankees regretting Chapman ? He has been fine. The Cubs used him like a rented mule in their playoffs, but he’s rebounded from that…
Yes they are, at that price for those years with those knees. Enjoy!
I don’t think they’re regretting it, but they might soon if it stops them from acquiring guys or puts them over the tax. That’s a lot of money for a reliever that’s already in a good bullpen.
Yeah, no one is taking that asking price seriously. I think he’ll actually end up around 4/60, maybe the Braves.
no.
If I were a free agent I would mess with everyone and ask for a 15 year billion dollar contract so I could be in the news.
Gotta love that idea….lol
You’d be famous here!
The 6th year is laughable but his AAV is in line with top-tier closers. He shouldn’t beat Chapman’s 5/86 though.
i would offer him 4 yrs 60 million
I don’t even think 100 million for Kimbrel is THAT crazy. Over 6 years that’s less than 20 million a year. I know that’s a lot for a reliever but the way the market is trending it could get there. And if you look at players who have had careers similar to Kimbrel (mlb.com had an article about this), he is on the same track as a few HOF relievers and some other very very good ones who pitched very well into their late 30s. So 6 years for 100 million isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world. It could be terrible, but its not a guarantee.
Mocking his creepy chicken gait
I’d be more leery of Miller than Britton. Miller seems to be breaking down. Not a guy you want locked into a premium multi-year deal.
I think that if a team uses Miller for only the 7th, 8th or 9th, he’ll be fine. Francona used him all over the place for multiple innings, and broke him in 2018. Going forward, I think he’ll be fine with a little managerial restraint…
That doesn’t sound like a fit for a Phillies then….
Yep, his knee has become a real issue.
Miller is a bad contract in waiting.
Perfect for the Phillies, only too happy to overpay.
Looked up “Bagholder” in the dictionary, and there was a photo of a smiling Matt Klentak with an exuberant John Middleton slapping Klentak on the back…….with money coming out of his ears.
LOL, you comment on every article pertaining to the Phils. I actually laugh thinking about you sitting alone, face red with anger, typing furiously while cursing all things Phillies. Keep up the good work, your pathetic comments are actually entertaining.
What ever happened to Casey’s Partner? Did he get banned?
frankiegxiii
He was here as CP a few weeks ago and more recently as ScottRolen
Scott Rolen possibly also Free
yea he keeps changing his name but its the same annoying routine…something about how Middleton used to bully him in school and now he’s desperately seeking his revenge through MLBTR’s comments section
@brian214
lol back atcha……..
Have to admit – I do sit alone when I type. Me and a billion other people.
My feeling towards the Phillies operation? The funniest thing I’ve seen in MLB since Preller came upon the scene. Greedy agents and blood thirsty GM’s line-up to do business with them. Every single transaction they make is a desperate attempt to become relevant. They never do.
@Sam… so, you’d rather have them sit by and do nothing? pass up every opportunity to invest in a better product? how can you possibly hate on the Segura trade? how is McCutchen NOT and upgrade over Williams/Altherr? try, just for a few days to see how it feels, to be an optimist and have fun with the sport rather than whining about it. I’m pretty sure it’s here for enjoyment
@Sam, that was a low class reply to you on my part. My bad.
@raltongo, what you said summed up my feelings spot on. I’m a lifelong Philly fan, and I’ve suffered more than I’ve celebrated. I’m desperate (as much as a fan should be LOL) for my team to get back to respectability. I feel like even though they’re close, they are gonna screw it up somehow. So is the life of a Philly fan I guess.
@ raltongo;
When teams go through multi-year rebuilds, those that succeed bring up a core of young players that form the nucleolus of the team. Then free agents and veterans are acquired to complement it.
The Phillies have built no foundation. Nola is fantastic; some so-so pitchers that might get better; a catcher I like that can be very good if he gets some coaching; and a 1B that is OK, but his stats are inflated in a ballpark Mike Schmidt christened as “Arena Baseball”
3-5 year contending teams are not a fantasy league baseball draft. What this GM is doing is exactly what Amaro, Jr. did for years. Why do you expect a different result?
As was Santana, McCutchen is a radical overpay – he’s a shell of what he once was. His salary will be going up to even higher levels as his skills deteriorate (reminds me of the Mets signing Jay Bruce). By mid-2020 they’ll be looking to dump him. Segura is a very good player, great stats. But the Phillies will be his 5th team in 9 years. What’s with that? You thought Klentak was dumping salary? Fact is that so was Dipito.
I saw this with Preller when he started with the Padres. The agents and GM’s went to work on him. Now he’s buying time hiding behind his prospects……when he’s not overpaying for free agents and trading for veterans.
Phillie fans waited for years through this faux rebuild. This is not Pat Gillick. When Charlie Manuel showed up in Philly he’d forgotten more baseball then Gabe Kapler knows…or ever will know……and Charlie knew how to work with players.
Again – Mr. Klentak is Rubén Amaro, Jr. II – The Sequel…….without the Credential.
I have confidence in Miller to rebound. All indications are that he is healthy. As long as he’s not misused he certainly would be an asset for any team.
If these are the numbers being talked about….I’m available. At my age, three days in a row might be too much, so I’m prepared to eschew asking for an opt-out. My velocity is down, but I have a very deceptive delivery (in fact, scouts have told me they’ve never seen anything like it before)
My delivery is so deceptive that some say I don’t even have one….
Kimbrel is currently on pace to become the best closer of all time. I know Mo had historic numbers late in his career. Kimbrel needs to continue to average exactly what he has done for 8 more years and he breaks Mo’s record.
Obviously this is regular season stats and not playoff stats…..He has never had a major injury and could be dominate for another 5-6 years without a doubt. So with that all factored in, is he really wrong for asking for 6/100? I don’t think he is and I am sure there is a team that will make him the highest paid reliever of all time.
He may just beat Chapman’s contract, but only by a little. I still think it’s a foolish deal, but can see it happening. I just hope it doesn’t happen with the Red Sox. I don’t think it will.
Mo’s cutter kept him around. Kimbrel is a power guy with a lot of mileage. He is gonna get paid but the 6th year isn’t happening.
Yes, he is wrong for asking 6/100 , some of you guys have no concept of $. These rising player contracts have no more of a chance of continuing indefinitely, than the real estate bubble did.
Where did “Mo had historic numbers late in his career come from”?
I think you need to look up MO’s career stats and you’ll marvel at his consistency over the entire course of his career which plays into his current title of being the best closer of all time.
Kimbrel while good, has a long way to go before anyone is going to agree with your comment about his being on pace to be the best of all time.
Mo fashioned his career in the fishbowl of NY and dominated throughout numerous playoff series and their unprecedented run of World Championships for the Yankees. When Mo came into the game….most considered the game pretty much over.
Aside from the recent Red Sox world championship, where else has Kimbrel performed under pressure? And, he wasn’t exactly lockdown during those appearances during the playoffs and WS this year….granted he got the job done but caused an awful lot of nail biting while doing it.
He was the Rolaids relief man when I watched him pitch.
I kept my jar of Rolaids handy & used quite a few.
Would love to see the Phillies waste their money!
I just can’t see Kimbrel getting anything close to $100M. Having watched most Sox games this year, he really struggled in the second half of the regular season (and then there is the playoff meltdown). His WHIP blew up in the 2nd half and his strikeouts were down a tick too. He didn’t end up blowing too many saves but his days of mowing them down 1-2-3 seem to be diminishing. I think he might find someone willing to offer 4/$60M, but not much more than that. I absolutely loved what he did for the Red Sox and he will be hard to replace, but a $100M contract seems like a pipe dream to me. Who knows, it only takes one team as they say…
Andrew Miller could be the biggest steal this off-season.
If he didn’t give up 4 ER in 0.2 IP his last game of the season he would have 3.26 ERA, instead of 4.24 ERA ended up with.
Turning 34 and 1.38 WHIP don’t scare me. Sign him Yanks!!
Phillies have to sign him on a 2 year contract with a 2 year vesting option
Forgot Pazos.
The Phillies should be all in on trading for a quality starter to pair with Nola. Quietly the defense has gotten better with Hoskins moving back to 1B, McCutchen being added to the OF and Segura taking over SS. Hernandez was playing injured last year.
I wonder what their plans are for Kingery after giving him that contract. It isn’t disastrous but if he isn’t starting it is wasted money. Cozens, Quinn, Williams, Kingery and Franco all look to be on the outside looking in.
Goose, I do agree they need a lefty starter..now, MLBs Todd Zoleckie is damping down any notion the Phillies will get either Harper or Machado..seems they talk a good game, but just can’t pull the trigger…so much for stupid spending…in reality, they need a major bat…it would go a long way…sigh!
Yes,Cubs used Chapman as rental,but gave up Torres,almost rookie of the year last year. And,Chapman resigned with Yankees,Cubs lost both guys to same team.
But won a World Series so…
@coochie
So in other words the rental paid off big time for the Cubs (World Championship)
The Cubs never intended to keep Chapman so it does not matter who he signed with
5/100 for the YOUNG Kimbrel is a bargain
The OLD Kimbrels out years will be a drag.
Id give him 2/55 and walk away
Lol! That’s insane.