Andrew Miller was the sixth overall pick of the Tigers in the 2006 draft and continued as an elite prospect for a little while after that, but it took the left-hander several years to truly make his mark as a major leaguer. Miller began as a starter in Detroit, but after struggling over parts of two seasons, the team dealt him and others to the Marlins in December 2007 for Miguel Cabrera in one of the most impactful trades in the two clubs’ histories. Miller didn’t pan out in Miami from 2008-10, though, and he went to Boston after the last of those seasons in exchange for lefty Dustin Richardson.
Richardson never even threw a pitch as a Marlin, whereas the Red Sox are still profiting from the trade to this day. While Miller continued to flounder in his first year with the Red Sox, the 6-foot-7, 205-pounder moved to the bullpen on a full-time basis the next season. That represented a eureka moment for Miller, who began a years-long run as one of the most imposing late-game options in baseball.
Miller held his own in Boston into the 2014 season, but with the team well out of contention at that year’s deadline, it traded the then-pending free agent to the AL East rival Orioles. Miller went on to provide 20 dominant regular-season innings in Baltimore, which coasted to a division title, as well as 7 1/3 scoreless, one-hit frames in the playoffs. The Orioles lost the ALCS in four games to the Royals, however, and then saw Miller head to a different division rival – the Yankees – during the ensuing period of free agency. In light of those results, and considering what they gave up for Miller, perhaps the O’s now regret the trade. Boston definitely doesn’t, having received one of its top pitchers in Eduardo Rodriguez for Miller.
Dating back to the deal, the Red Sox have seen Rodriguez turn into an above-average major league starter. Rodriguez, who debuted with Boston in 2015, is the owner of a lifetime 4.03 ERA/3.94 FIP across 699 innings. Although Rodriguez didn’t prove to be a workhorse in his first four years in the league, that changed last season. The 27-year-old Rodriguez was one of 15 pitchers who accumulated 200-plus frames (203 1/3, to be exact), and he posted a 3.81 ERA/3.86 FIP with 9.43 K/9 and 3.32 BB/9 to rank 24th among starters in fWAR (3.7). Ace-like numbers? No, though Boston was surely pleased with that production from a hurler who was on an eminently affordable $4.3MM salary. And the team could get at least two more seasons from Rodriguez, who won’t be eligible to become a free agent until after 2021.
While he hasn’t shown himself to be a true No. 1 starter, the Red Sox can’t be displeased with acquiring Rodriguez for someone on an expiring contract. Meanwhile, the Rockies may be kicking themselves for passing on Rodriguez. Peter Gammons reported in 2014 that the O’s agreed to send Rodriguez to Colorado for fellow southpaw Jorge De La Rosa, but Rockies owner Dick Monfort vetoed the deal. De La Rosa stayed in Colorado through 2016, though the team didn’t contend then or in his last couple years on its roster.
You never know how Rodriguez would have turned out as a Rockie – everyone knows it’s a bear to pitch in their home park – but he has certainly held up well in the AL East. Rodriguez is now one of the most valuable players Boston has.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Imagine being a Rockies fan to find out they missed out on Eduardo Rodriguez for two years of Jorge de La Rosa
Probably wouldn’t have doh d success. Coorse kills pitchers
good pitching is good pitching though. its all relative at Coors but clearly E-Rod would be better than the void they have at 5th starter now
Are you aware that Fenway is far from a pitchers park as well? And that with the exception of the Orioles, the AL East has some of the most opposing lineups in baseball?
Doesn’t seem like a big deal… Rodriguez isn’t the difference between winning the NL west.
E Rod was a terrific trade for the RS, unlike what the usual trades turn out to. The best scenario is that both teams get what they need.
That 2014 ALDS vs Detroit was all about bullpens.
Tigers didn’t have one and the Orioles did.
Andrew Miller being an important piece.
Crazy to look at those Orioles teams and see how fast they have fallen on hard times.
The decline of Trumbo and Chris Davis being the main reason.
But I think the issue for Baltimore is that Andrew Miller didn’t make much of a difference and they ended up trading a potential SP to a division rival.
But 2012-2016 you would have thought the Orioles were going to end up in the World Series.
I would argue that the O’s starting pitching was never good enough to make them legit contenders. People forget that they had multiple years where they made the playoffs with a negative run differential – unheard of. Part of it should be attributed to Showalter – he managed that club very well, minus the one decision to leave Ubaldo in against Encarnacion with Britton in the pen.
Matters what team
2014 or 2016
2014 was the better version even though you had Trumbo in 2016. In 2014 they had Cruz and I believe Markakis
The issue in 2014 was no matter how solid the Orioles bullpen was Kansas City’s was even better.
The bullpen won the divisional series but ended up blowing it in the ALCS.
For a sweep if you look at those games it was a very close series. Orioles could have just as easily won all 4.
KCs bullpen was just a little better.
They pretty much won almost every single game in those playoffs by close margins
That deadline, they also traded Lester in part for Cespedes who was then dealt for Porcello. Their other deal then was in sending Lackey to St. Louis. Craig was a bust and Kelly until the latter half of 18 was inconsistent and a disappointment. As great a year as JDM (my choice for MVP) and Betts had, the team does not have a duckboat parade in 18 without those deals. It helps explain why trades sometimes take time to evaluate.
When the Tigers trades Granderson the year after the breakout year he had the Detroit fans were outraged because the got some unknown pitcher from the D-backs that the Yankees didn’t: Scherzer.
Trades typically takes years to evaluate and fans are too quick to judge.
So true. I think it was either 88 or 90 when the trade deadline was June 15th. Boston traded for a still thought to be good but not great Mike Bodikker. They gave up Curt Schilling and Brady Anderson.
By the way, the reverse of that was when they traded Slocomb to Seattle for Lowe and Varitek. Or was it Varitek and Lowe?
ALLEN CRAIG (total bust) $38 million along with Hanley Ramirez $88 million, Sandoval $95 million, Rusney Castillo $72 million…..$293 million utterly wasted…..no wonder Cherington was fired, but he did build a great core of home grown talent…..DD was always going to be a short term fix as brings his teams to the World Series then leaves a black hole everywhere he has been. I am glad they made the change each time or you could say each time the change needed to be made imo.
I like the variety of Epstein… Cherington… DD… Bloom. It really shows their contrasting styles and that each can be successful.
Can you name those opposing line-ups please? Yankees and……
Him and Maybin were the main players in the Miguel Cabrera trade
Both of their careers with the Marlins were iffy but Miller found his place as a reliever and has developed into one of the best relievers in baseball.
Would have had more value as a starter but having a guy who can throw 2 unhittable innings at times has its value
To answer your question ,
i sincerely hope not ,
but , probably , yes .
And this is why you trade players on expiring contracts who you won’t be resigning.
Or even if you are going to re-sign them (A. Chapman, J. Familia, A. Wood, probably M. Betts)
Betts is not returning to Boston. Move on. The team needs to spend on and develop their own pitching.
Andrewgauldin – why RS trades Betts…..
All the much better for Boston if they had gone and fixed the knee cap issue 2 seasons earlier instead of waiting. Each year it would slide out of place eventually, requiring couple months away. now, after surgery we finally see what Boston has for an entire season.
Not sure he’s the guy who put up those 2019 numbers, but he’s a solid 2-3 type for sure IMO that hopefully has a no more knee issues as he goes forward
i dont know why we dont consider this as huge a steal as we do other trades. trading 23 games of a RP for a starter of E-Rod’s caliber and age is an absolute steal given the returns rental RPs, even good ones, tend to get
I would not consider it a ‘steal’. Granted Miller wasn’t with the Orioles for a long time but he did play a large role down the stretch to help them make the ALCS. Since the Orioles did not get past the Royals in hindsight I would prefer the trade to not have happened but it’s one you can definitely understand.
The Headline: “How Boston Landed One Of Its Most Valuable Pitchers”. The headline should read: How Boston Landed it’s Only Valuable Pitcher.
Rodriguez will become a FA at the age of 29, will the Red Sox lay out the money and years it will take to re-sign him? That’s the real question.
How many Boston stories can we have in a week? I forget their is only baseball fans on the East Coast. The pandering continues. Gotta go another story on the Yankees or Mets is coming soon.