The Cardinals have reached out to free agent Shelby Miller about a potential reunion, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). St. Louis is looking to add depth at Triple-A Memphis, per Goold. It’s not a foregone conclusion a deal will get done, though, as Goold adds the Cardinals believe at least other team is interested in the right-hander.
Miller began his career with the Cardinals as a first-round draft pick in 2009. He broke into the majors as a 21-year-old in 2012 and found quite a bit of success in St. Louis. Miller worked to a 3.33 ERA across 370 innings with the Cards, earning a third place finish in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2013. The Cardinals traded him to Atlanta after the 2014 season.
Miller’s career has gone off track over the past few years, thanks to a combination of injuries and underperformance. He only managed an 8.59 ERA/6.27 SIERA in 44 innings with the 2019 Rangers. Miller opted out of the 2020 season before signing a minor league deal with the Cubs this past winter. Selected to the big league roster in April, he pitched two innings of relief for Chicago, allowing seven runs on as many hits with five walks. The Cubs designated Miller for assignment late last month and released him shortly after he cleared waivers.
In spite of those struggles, there’d be little downside for the Cardinals or any other club in adding Miller on a minor league deal. He could offer depth for either the rotation or the long relief group. Miller impressed over 10 1/3 frames with the Cubs Triple-A affiliate in Iowa earlier this season, allowing two earned runs with 15 strikeouts and six walks. He also averaged a decent 93.5 MPH on his four-seam fastball in his brief MLB time, suggesting his arm strength hasn’t disappeared despite his recent series of injuries.
I like a good comeback story.
Like Kim Kardashian?
Well done sir. Very well done indeed.
Parks and rec?
It’s Miller time! (someone had to say it)
You win today’s comments ! You get enjoyment!
Let the cycle begin again.
Let the other interested team have him. The Cardinals are low balling again. Once in a rare while, they get lucky, but Miller’s luck left him the first time around in St. Louis. The guy is a wash.
How? He had his best season the year he was in Atlanta. His career at the end of 2015 suggested he’d be no worse than a playoff-level #3. The wheels completely fell off the wagon in 2016 when he was with Arizona.
What has he done since that one year? Nothing but lose. People love to talk about a player’s one good season from the past and use that as an excuse to sign him, thinking he can do it again. I liked the guy, but his year in the sun was 6 seasons ago. Just telling it like it is. The guy is a wash.
He’s got talent in the arm but nothing in the noggin but hot air, or at least that was the case when he was coming up.
*Laughs in Dansby Swanson*
Swanson is average at best. Blair and Ender are awful. That trade is nowhere near the steal everyone hyped it up to be. It’s closer to a wash as this point.
What? It was a steal just Ender for Miller.
Ender’s OPS+ with the Braves has never been above 100. This is what that franchise calls a steal? Chris Taylor for Zach Lee was a steal. Meadows, Glasnow and Baz for Archer is a steal. Braves have such low standards compared to other teams.
Oh wow, one stat (he had two 98 OPS+ seasons) to show how mediocre he’s been. He produced 9.0 WAR from 2016-19 including three gold gloves. His peak just didn’t coincidence with the Braves competitive years.
Swanson’s left much to be desired and definitely is closer to league average (or worse) than Braves fans care to admit. He’s just incredibly streaky. When’s on, he looks good. When he’s off, he’s almost non-tender level of bad.
Blair was so bad that I don’t know how he ever was seen as any sort of a prospect by any team, let alone the industry.
No, it wasn’t a steal on the level many hyped it to be. I never thought it would be. But it was a good trade that afforded the Braves two inexpensive starters for a few years at two key positions. I’d have loved to have kept the 2015 Shelby Miller around, but it was a great trade just to get two pieces back for the shell of him we’ve seen since 2016.
Pick any offensive stat you want. He just wasn’t that good. Fair to say average hitter at best. Yes, I know he was an elite defender in CF. He definitely was not the reason they became competitive again. That had much more to do with Acuna’s arrival. Miller was so bad the Braves clearly got the better assets but some were saying that could be the worst deal of the decade which it came nowhere close to being.
Closer to a wash than what? If you are saying overall that trade is close to a wash, that might be one of the stupidest things I’ve read on here in a while.
Than being some massive highway robbery. Why is it no matter how bad the players perform, people act like the Braves got 2 HOFers. Inciarte is basically Kevin Pillar. Pillar has changed teams 5 times since 2019. Not hard to find a designated fielder. Heck their top prospect is already one. Swanson puts up the same numbers as Jose Iglesias. Hate to break it to you, but he’s not some future star
So 3 GG and over 200 hits in a season by Ender is nothing compared to the literal nothing AZ got from Miller? Swanson was rushed up but other than strikeouts has been a solid everyday shortstop. If that’s nothing, I’ll take that nothing in a trade every time.
The trade was certainly closer to a steal than wash. Come on, stop with the hyperbole
Shelby Miller provided 0.7 fWAR over 3 seasons in Arizona. Swanson has provided 6.4 over parts of 6 and Ender provided another 9.3 fWAR over parts of 6 seasons (granted ATL signed him to an extension so you could argue the value perhaps being lower) and Blair provided -0.8, That comes out to a total of 14.9 vs. .7. That seems like it’s far from a wash to me.
Before you try to dismiss the argument because you think fWAR is a stupid stat or something of the like, I’d welcome a counter argument with statistical support.
Uh.. they got a future starting shortstop and a gold glove/200 hits in a season outfielder. Miller has barely pitched since then and isn’t even in the majors. Even how now?
It’s amazing shelby Miller was once a top prosect and was traded for Jason Heyward. Now he kinda lost his touch and is an okay pitcher but nothing like he used to be
Not like Heyward ever lived up to the hype either. Great defensive outfielder for sure but his bat has been abysmal at times.
So glad the Cubs outbid the Cards for his noodle stick.
The downside is he gets into games and they loose them. I hope it happens
Yeah sure the Redbirds are interested. Miller’s 7 runs on 7 hits with 5 walks in his 2-inning 2021 career with the Cubs is proof. LoL. I could perform better for alot less money. Ain’t gonna happen.
carpenter pitched 1 inning and did better than shelby
I have this nightmare thought carpenter will be brought back as DH in 2022.
Somebody talk me down.
There’s no one else youd like to take a look at? Like move a kid up thru the system? You know what Miller and guys like him are before you even bring them in, cooked.
Believe me when I say that the Cardinals have no one at AAA that can help them in anyway possible. In fact maybe just a couple of real prospects who are not ready or will be ready this year. Miller has a pulse so he will fit right in.
bring him up to pitch against colorado. it’ll be miller time at coors
They could have Matt Harvey cheap
Although, I would like to see Harvey in the bullpen before any trades or releases, DFA
At least Harvey is in shape and has a live arm
miller is as cheap as harvey. they should try to sign both. throw cole hamels a bone, too
The team needs players that can eat up innings which the cardinals need desperately. low risk high reward. I like it.
If a Shelby Miller acquisition is, “high reward” potential, then so is every single professional player.
Agreed, 100%.
Miller can’t eat innings. That one stellar year in Atlanta, he led the league in losses, He has averaged 5 innings per start during his career. Innings eater? Really? The Cardinals are pretending to do something about their broken pitching staff thinking it will appease the fans. Dumb fans will buy into it. Low risk, NO reward.
If you think losses is a way at all to measure pitching success then you no absolutely nothing about baseball.
He can’t pitch. Regardless of how you measure his stats (not success), the guy is a waste of time. He has proven that by both old school standards and ANALytics. People keep saying he was a top rated pitcher in the minors, but he isn’t much now and now is what matters. How many top 50 minor league players make a difference in the MLB? Keeping this guy out of the organization saves space for somebody who matters, Keep your analysis to yourself, this guy is a wash, not an innings eater. The only thing he eats is the money teams pay him to prove he’s worthless.
Keep my analysis to myself? How about you keep your stupidity to yourself. He was good in St Louis and awesome in ATL until injuries happened and it screwed him up mentally and physically. It’s not his fault that he pitched awesome on a terrible offensive team. You’ve yet to say one smart thing on any thread.
He had a good half season in STL then lost it and six weeks in ATL before his little world collapsed. He lost it in ATL before he got hurt., the injury became the excuse for his rapid decline. Take away those six weeks in ATL and his numbers for the rest of the year were bad, no matter how you calculate it. Injuries are part of the game. Miller has always had everything given to him since childhood. He never has had a strong mental approach to the game. He took everything for granted. He was a constant complainer who whined and cried all through the Cardinals system. If he didn’t get his way, he pouted, as did his father. This guy never matured enough to handle the major leagues or his setbacks. That’s why STL gave up on him. He shined for a very short time in ATL but things got away from him and he lost it like he did in STL. Being a Cardinal hopeful, I kept a close watch through his entire minor league career with high hopes. I am sorry reality screwed with his head and he lost it, but as of now, this guy stinks and will be a waste of space where ever he goes. Just please not STL. Maybe ATL should give him another chance.
I get wins and losses don’t count in today’s game, that’s just the current approach to analysis. I say he is a loser, not by his record, but by his overall performance. Besides, what matters is now, not yesterday. I assume this guy was a favorite of yours. That would be the only reason to defend him.
You want stupid? Look in the mirror.
Key is : low risk high reward. Team needs anybody who can eat up some innings for cheap right now so they can keep the books open in case they play into a conversation for a scherzer, berries, etc. in july
they need winners, not innings eaters
Cardinals won in 2011 by signing guys that weren’t big names, but that were low risk high reward bullpen options at the deadline. Octavio Dotel, Arthur Rhoades, Edwin Jackson, Mark Rzepcinski, etc. Jake Westbrook on that team was awful but he was a dependable innings eater every 5 days. You can’t build a championship without your ‘winners,’ but in many ways low risk guys like shelby miller can take some innings from the key pitchers in the rotation and the back end of the bullpen
Signed?
The problem is where do you get “winners” in June and what are you going to pay to get them? I’m not sure this is a win at all costs type of season and that is hard for me to say. But let’s say you sell the farm to get the players you think you need and then they get hurt. In this injury crazy season that is a very real risk. I would love to win big this year if just for Waino and Yadi, but I think the smart money is taking shots on the Shelby Millers of the world and hoping that is enough to keep it close.
Nothing to see hear, please move along! The Cardinal Way! Cheap, Cheap, Cheap!
Cardinal Management … Poor decision to start the season … with 4/5 of the starters being Adam Wainwright at age 39, to rely on injured Mikolas, unproven Kim and Martinez who hasn’t been a consistent starter… Is this the Cardinal way?
If I was the GM of any team I’d want to keep any alleged interest in Shelby Miller hush hush because it reeks of 2 things: desperation and delusion. Cards should be expressing interest in someone like Mike Minor or Greg Marquez if for no other reason than it creates the impression they intend to improve the rotation by the deadline.
*German Marquez
Please stop saying deals like this are low risk and won’t hurt. He’s a horrible pitcher and should be nowhere near a MLB game as he’ll just give up runs in bunches. He hasn’t pitched well in over 5 years.
Agreed, 100%.
There is literally no risk on a minor league deal ever
I find it far more annoying when people try to say deals like this are “high reward”.
I really don’t get why many are apposed to signing the dude to a minor league deal. I’d rather give him a go than continue starting top prospects on short rest. Depth is about more than just having MLB level talent.
If the Redbirds are going to take a flyer on Miller, they should go get Joe Kelly from LA, and make it old home week.
Someone else said the Cards are lowballing, that’s their modus operandi.
While they’re at it they might as well reunite with Randy Choate, Brett Cecil, and Greg Holland
you forgot trevor