Trading Andrew Miller Or Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller rank #1 and #2 in strikeout rate among all pitchers in Major League Baseball with at least 30 innings under their belt. And when it comes to fWAR among all relievers, Dellin is #1 while Andrew is #3.

On top of the numbers, both Betances and Miller can pitch in any situation their thrown into. Set-up man? You got it. Closer? Sure thing. Come into the game with men already on base with less than two outs? No problem.

Only a handful of teams in the league wouldn't be interested in acquiring either of these pitchers to add to their bullpens. And most of those teams are all but eliminated from the postseason.

While the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals are the more obvious trade partners, that doesn't mean there aren't other teams that could use some bullpen help.

The San Francisco Giants are unlikely to make a big splash at the deadline, but they could use something better on the mound at the end of games. The Chicago White Sox are another team with a struggling bullpen. And don't count out the St. Louis Cardinals, especially after their division rival Cubs landed Aroldis Chapman yesterday.

The question is, how high are they willing to pay for Dellin or Andrew? Because if you think Chapman got the Yankees a nice return, Betances and Miller should absolutely get more.

Before I go over some of the guys that pique my interest, I must say that I'm actually against trading either of those two.

This isn't like with Aroldis Chapman, where he was set to be a free agent at the end of the year. Hell, both members of DnA are under team control through the 2018 season (unlike Andrew, Dellin isn't actually eligible for free agency until 2020). As I've argued, I think this team could contend as soon as next season, but in order to do that they can't afford to weaken their bullpen that much.

But at the same time, it's going to take another big move or two from Brian Cashman to make the 2017 Yankees into true contenders. And in order to do that, moving one of the team's remaining elite relievers may be necessary.

"Would somebody just tell me what to do?"

So we're stuck in a bit of a conundrum.

I say a "bit" because if the Yankees can get back one of the following players then I wouldn't be too upset. After all, the Yankees are known to be able to find/develop closers almost at will.

All but one of the players listed below are starters, and that's on purpose. Sure, there are other players that would be enticing, but I believe the Yankees need to concentrate on what they need for next season. That would be starting pitching, and perhaps a third baseman.

SP Luis Giolito (Nationals)
-Like with so many young pitchers, Giolito is having issues with walking hitters. But talk about a good base of talent to work with!

SP Alex Reyes (Cardinals) 
-Reyes is also struggling with control this season. However, he still misses a ton of bats and is ready to join MLB next season.

3B/OF Joey Gallo (Rangers) 
-Joey strikes out quite a bit, and has a low batting average, but that can be overlooked while he's hitting 30+ HRs a season and getting on base over 35% of the time.

Those three players are probably more pipe dreams than realities, due to them being so valuable to their current organizations.  But when you're talking about trading away guys like Betances or Miller, then I truly believe that's what it should take.

With that said, the following players would be nice gets, but other pieces would be necessary for me to approve dealing Dellin or Andrew for them. I'm thinking players that are under team control in MLB, or prospects not far removed from the top 100.

SP Reynaldo Lopez (Nationals) 
-Reynaldo's not as big a prospect as Giolito, but the Nats may be more willing to deal him. His strikeout rate is still quite nice, and he's ready to open next season in MLB.

SP Mike Clevinger (Indians) 
-Yet another young starter with control issues, but he misses plenty of bats and his MLB-ready.

SP Adalberto Mejia (Giants) 
-A decent walk rate and nice strikeout rate, along with being MLB-ready makes him attractive.

While some of you will like this list, I'm sure there are other players you'd be willing to deal away Betances or Miller for. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if some of you simply said "no" to dealing away Dellin or Andrew for anyone.

So go ahead and hit me with whatever you got.