The Indians announced today that infielder Brad Miller has elected free agency after clearing waivers. Recently designated for assignment, Miller had expressed some frustration with the organization’s decision and preferred not to take a spot at Triple-A.
This move puts an interesting player back onto the open market. The 29-year-old is a fairly accomplished left-handed batter with some defensive versatility. He opened the current campaign with forty plate appearances of .250/.325/.417 hitting and ought to be ready to hit the ground running with a new club.
That being said, Miller may still need to take up residency with an affiliate for a stretch before returning to the majors. He could have been claimed had any team really wanted him on its active roster. After all, he was slated to earn only $1MM for the season under the deal he inked with the Indians. (Having signed an advance consent clause, the club must pay only for about a sixth of that amount.)
No surprise there
So the Indians were only on the hook for 1/6th of his million dollar salary if they let him go? Seems to be another factor in the decision if that’s the case.
It’s exactly why they let him go and is exactly why they’re going to do the same with Hanley soon.
I mean that’s extreme penny pinching right there. The salary is double the league minimum but the league minimum is nothing. I guess it gives his comments something behind them. I was under the impression they were on the hook for the full million prior to this post
Its also absolute nonsense though, so there is that
So he cleared waivers because nobody wanted him in the majors so he signed with Cleveland to fill a LH 2B spot until Kipnis returned from the DL? Then cleared waivers again because nobody wanted him on an MLB deal and yet the Tribe was wrong for dumping him now that he can’t stick around and fill a utility role…ok…
Is it wrong? I never said it was wrong at all. They’re free to make whatever choice they feel is correct. Idk why you’re so upset. He was released while 2 awful SS were on your ML team. He is also not that great of a baseball player but he has every right to be upset particularly if he was given an indication he could stick with the team post Kipnis’ injury.
Not upset, also know they’re honest with the players and can assure you he was informed he would be around until Kipnis was coming back and given nobody else wanted to sign him at the time he took that chance anyway.
I agree that Hanley is soon to be DFA’d… But don’t you think it has more to do with his performance at the plate and available roster space? I understand that money is always a factor.. but, like the case with Miller, it seems silly to assume that their salary is in the forefront for the decision making.
Miller was a stopgap for Kip while he was on IL. Kip comes back, Miller DFA’d.
Hanley got a shot at reviving his career. He isn’t hitting (plus Cargo is called up and Lindor soon to be activated), so Hanley will get DFA’d.
And you never know, last year Melky started the same way and was dumped, then came back and was productive.
That has nothing to do wit why they let him go
The only available options were
1 – release Kipnis, their starting 2B
2 – go without a SS capable middle infielder on bench
3 – release Miller
They were kind enough to give him 1/5 of 1 million instead of a minor league deal which would have paid him only pennies when they used him for those 3 weeks he was with the team.
And he knew flat out this was the outcome when he accepted the March 24th contract – he was only ever going to be there as long as their real 2B was hurt. That’s what he signed on for after being released by the Dodgers. If he didn’t like that, he could have stayed a FA hoping to have been able to get a AAA job from the Orioles or Royals or someone instead, I guess.
Neither you nor I were in the room when they negotiated the contract. The contract had this clause in it so he had to realize it was a possibility. There was no way either of us would know whether millers reps and the team talked about the potential of him sticking as a utility man post kipnis’ return. You certainly don’t know that wasn’t discussed. It may have been and that could’ve also led to his outburst. We really don’t know.
They may not like his SS defense but this isn’t a guy who hasn’t played SS. He’s played a ton. You’re completely dismissing him as if he has no gripe whatsoever and that easily could not be the case. Though yes, obviously he signed this contract and this was always going to be a possibility.
He can’t play SS and was only signed after the team learned Kipins was injured, and then only made the team to fill in for Kipnis at 2B temporarily while Kipnis recovered.
He may be a moron and couldn’t figure out what everyone knew, I don’t know. But there was never any doubt he would soon be released, nor chance of him staying on the team. Meanwhile the Indians were kind to give him a prorated 1 million instead of the minor league deal he would have found elsewhere instead
I also wasn’t in the room, but the Tribe are historically way too open and honest about a role when acquiring a player see the Lucroy trade that he vetoed because they were too honest and would not 100% guarantee him the starting catcher job the following season. Miller knee his role that he signed on for, he just hoped he’d stick anyway. He might have survived the Kipnis move but once London comes back there is absolutely no way he was going to survive that cut since he can’t play SS.
No, he couldn’t have even possibly survived Kipnis coming back because he is incapable of playing SS or 3B at this point.
The Indians were never going to carry 2 guys limited to 2B while leaving themselves no one to back up Ramirez at 3B or the other temporary replacement at SS.
PS: his 3 errors in 13 chances at SS last year cemented the proof he doesn’t belong at that position.
He is upset because he didn’t perform bad by any means. He has a .3 WAR through 13 games. A full season of his services at that clip leaves him at a 3.7 WAR for the season. Any team would be happy to have that.
Agreed that Miller performed well while he was filling in with the Tribe…
But WAR does not look favorably on time sitting on the bench.. and that is exactly what he would be doing, now that Kip is back.
Given that all 29 teams passed on claiming him is probably a good indication that the Tribe is not alone in think Brad Miller is not a 3.7 WAR/year player.
I get that he might be a little upset.. but given the type of player he is and where he is in his career, probably not a great move to vent like that to the press. Miller is a defensively limited bench player with a mediocre bat and approaching 30 years old. It just seems like a bad career move to have a public outburst – it eliminates one potential employer and sends a signal about your attitude to the other 29 teams.
Best of luck to Miller though, I’m sure someone will get him on a minors deal.
I’m confused, which is not uncommon. If he had agreed to go down to AAA, what would the Indians be required to pay him since he signed the advance consent? I thought the Indians had to fully release him to activate the AC clause, not demote him? Can anyone explain please?
10 days after designation you typically release the player, player can refuse the assignment which it sounds like Miller did here
makes sense
he signed a major league contract that wasn’t fully guaranteed until 45 days into season or something? But yeah what would’ve happened had he went to triple A, voids majors contarct?….I guess I didnt really help with an answer lol
Well, thanks for trying! I guess Jeff is too busy which is totally ok. I love this site. Why I care about such trivialities is a conundrum…..
His minor league deal was like $125k
Oh OK. Thanks!
With the number of injuries, he should be able to find a job quickly.
Yankees?
That’s what I’m thinking . He could probably play everyday right now for the yankees
Can he pitch at all?! Braves need bullpen help bad and can try him out lol…
This dude has an over inflated belief in his abilities.
Career failure
He was slashing around league average ish . That’s not nothing
(-)256 URZ/150 at SS last year, (-)16.7 at SS in 2016
Career (-)55 URZ/150 at 3B over the few innings he has spent there
(-)44.2 in the outfield
(-)7.5 at 2B over career, although this fluctuates from positive to negative yearly
He is an “all-hit” 2B, who doesn’t hit that well
It added up to a perfect 0 WAR in 2017 and 2018
Just a scrub with almost no use to a team unless they are desperate for a fill-in at 2B
Brad miller isn’t all that good. That’s no surprise. You’re completely ignoring the guy they kept in his place. Eric stamets had 48 abs and 24K’s. The guy couldn’t even hit like a pitcher. Moroff also K’d in roughly 50% of his abs and was batting below .100. If miller is bad those guys are astronomically awful.
Know what Eric Stamets can do? Play 2B, 3B and SS
Know what Max Moroff can do? Play 2B, 3B and SS
Know what just called up Mike Freeman can do? Play 2B, 3B and SS
Know what Brad Miller CAN NOT do? Play 3B or SS
The fact that we are even having this conversation is rather insane, as this is honestly about the most open and shut case of a guy not fitting a teams needs as you’ll find so far this season.
So the question is, why are you so determined to take away all reality and assign odd conspiracies about money savings? (Which is odd to begin with since Cleveland could have saved money by signing him to a minor league deal after he was released from the minor league deal he had with the Dodgers. Why didnt they do that if saving money was ever on the Indians mind? They wasted money by being kind and giving him a prorated 1 million for the mere 2-3 weeks they new they would need him – they could have had him for a fraction of what they did give him!)
Not sure why you keep getting upset an esteemed manager like Tito had no desire to put him out at SS knowing he couldn’t do it well despite what Milwaukee may have done last year. Milwaukee put a guy at 2B that had not played there and had no business there so that he played SS doesn’t mean any other team should do it.
The same esteemed manager that played Carlos Santana at 3B and RF? Or moved Jason Kipnis to CF? That the guy? They made a choice and that’s fine. You’ve completely closed your mind to any other scenario having any validity.
I don’t need to be receptive, the baseball experts spoke and didn’t think he was good enough.
Career failure? Dude has played in the Majors……have you?
This is such a dumb take. If the bar that is set is “Brad Miller is better than anonymous posters on the internet” then, yeah, he’s better than all of us. I would guess almost none of us ever played baseball past high school. It’s okay to acknowledge that he’s been bad at the job he signed up for. Better than us at baseball, of course, but not very good at baseball with the professionals.
The guy is a one trick pony and that trick isn’t all that great and definitely not in demand so what does he expect? Not all that surprising Tampa has taken off without his strikeouts in the lineup
He had a homer happy yr with 30 so he started thinking that’s who he is. He’s wrong.
A lot of BM haters here. Wow. Most of it sounds like jealousy to be blunt. I watched this guy w the Dodger’s in Spring training and was quite impressed having been a NL guy and never really getting to see him much. I can tell you he plays the game hard and the right way. Great energy and he was loved by the Dodger’s club house. Someone will pick him up, and a lot of teams will wish they had when it’s all said and done.
I don’t see any BM haters, just a bunch of guys reasoning that he had no role left on that team.
There was 100% no role for him once Kipnis came back because he can’t play SS (and is left handed, meaning he can’t platoon, even at DH where we already have 4 LH OF). And yes he should have known it was coming since he signed the clause. That being said, cant be mad at a guy feeling the pressure of limited career opportunities dwindling away.
I enjoyed watching Miller when he was a SS with the Mariners. But that was a few seasons ago. Sounds like he has an overinflated idea of his abilities. He certainly had some pop but plate discipline and defensive miscues were a problem. Wish him the best.
How’d this work out for you Brad?