Saturday, January 2, 2016

Okay So I Don’t Want to Trade Andrew Miller But….




During the offseason before the 2015 season many fans, bloggers and beat writers wondered if the New York Yankees would create the super bullpen that Brian Cashman has been trying to emulate for years now. The Kansas City Royals turned their franchise around with young players and a three-headed monster at the back end of the bullpen that Cashman, and many executives around the league to be fair, wanted to emulate. When New York signed Andrew Miller last offseason many wanted and wondered if David Robertson was also on his way back to the Bronx to complete the monster. Robertson ended up going to Chicago and Miller turned into a great closer for the Yankees which makes you wonder why now the Yankees went out and got another closer, Aroldis Chapman. I am not saying I want to trade Miller, that’s the exact opposite of the case in fact, but the New York Yankees may now be in a huge position of power with his services.

The New York Yankees could, and in my opinion should, hold onto Miller and throw out one of the best bullpens in all of Major League Baseball in 2016. And why wouldn’t they? The starting rotation is riddled with question marks and the team struggled to get length out of their starters all season long last year. Having a deep bullpen could alleviate these problems a bit, especially when most of the team’s current relief pitchers can pitch multiple innings while getting both left-handed and right-handed hitters out in any given occasion. It is interesting to think about what the Yankees could potentially get for Miller though, isn’t it?

If the Yankees made Miller available, and I mean truly available not this “he’s available but only if you blow me away” kind of available, there would be many teams that would show immediate interest. The Chicago Cubs would likely show the most interest and would likely have the most interesting pieces available in trade. The Cubs lack the young starting pitching that the Yankees would likely command for Miller but the outfielder pair of Jorge Soler and Javier Baez may be too good to pass up in the end. Another team that may be interested in Miller’s services would be the Washington Nationals and they very much have the young starting pitching that could intrigue Brian Cashman to make a deal. Names like Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez could start the discussion while a Tanner Roark could end it for the Bronx Bombers in any hypothetical trade.


The Yankees don’t need to trade Miller and honestly with six or seven starting pitching options and adequate depth the Yankees shouldn’t trade Miller. It is the offseason though and it’s interesting to see who the Yankees could get or may get in a potential trade. The sky is the limit right now and it is the time for new hopes, dreams and resolutions. I hope and dream that Cashman is resolute enough to keep Andrew Miller though. 

2 comments:

  1. I know we have different thoughts about the yankees chances for a playoff run where I don't see the team going very far... BUT a thought.

    I think the team will wait through spring training and ultimately declare one of these guys as a closer and one as a setup man. This is what I question. (this is not considering chapman's potential suspension or whatever). I would say split the time between chapman and miller. In the case that the yankees are not in a good position to make a run, both players are actively being showcased as closers (assuming repeated successes). "Miller is dominating as a setup man and has shown success in the past as a closer" vs. "miller is dominating between setup man and closer roles."

    For what Im expecting to be a ridiculous NL West, a nasty setup+/-closer will be worth his weight in prospects at the trade deadline.

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    1. Chapman is going to want to close before he hits free agency. Ask David Robertson about potential paychecks and how they correlate with the save statistic. Sure the team doesn't HAVE to give him the job but that only falls back on the team and makes the team look bad, not the player.

      Miller is cool with going to the 8th and was asked before the trade was made. Let him pitch the 8th, he's got his closer money anyway and can close again next season and the season after before worrying about free agency again.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)