Arizona Diamondbacks: Minor league time could delay Shelby Miller’s free agency

The Arizona Diamondbacks sent struggling Shelby Miller down to the minors last month, and he’s spent enough time there that his eligibility for free agency could be pushed back.

Shelby Miller‘s rocky first season with the Arizona Diamondbacks has been well-documented. Acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the offseason to form a new-look D-Backs rotation with free agent signee Zack Greinke, the 25-year-old right-hander has been a major disappointment in the desert. In 14 starts for Arizona this season, Miller has posted an ugly 7.14 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 1.47 K/BB ratio over 69.1 innings.

Unsurprisingly, the D-Backs elected to send Miller down to Triple-A to work things out on July 15. The move encapsulated how far the hurler’s stock had fallen in a short period of time: from a promising young arm who nearly tossed a no-hitter a year ago, to the subject of a minor league demotion.

It’s been a fairly miserable season all-around for the Diamondbacks, but Miller’s situation could have somewhat of a silver lining. After making his eighth outing for the Reno Aces last night, Miller all but assured that he will not be able to spend enough time at the major league level this season to accrue an official year of service time. That means he will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2019 campaign. He will be an arbitration candidate each of the next three years, however.

True, the extra year of team control won’t be much solace unless Miller can get himself back on track. While he has been putting up better numbers at Triple-A, they aren’t particularly convincing either. He sports a 3.91 ERA in 50.2 innings for Reno. However, the D-Backs will be encouraged to see his 9.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 rates (5.50 K/BB).

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Fortunately, the adjusted timeline gives Arizona more opportunity to salvage Miller’s performance. That might be easier said than done, though. It’s worth noting that his troubles began even while still a member of the Atlanta Braves. Despite posting a stellar 2.38 ERA in the first half of 2015, Miller put up a far more ordinary 3.83 ERA after the All-Star break. For the month of September, that mark registered at 5.40.

While Miller is probably not as dominant as he was at the beginning of last season, he’s almost certainly not as awful as he has been this year either. If he can become a reasonably effective starting pitcher again, the D-Backs will have to take that as a step in the right direction. Of course, it’s also hard to ignore the fact that the organization gave up last year’s #1 overall draft pick Dansby Swanson to acquire Miller in the first place. They were aiming much higher than “reasonably effective.”

Miller could also become a more appealing trade piece with another year of team control attached to him. The D-Backs reportedly explored deals involving Miller before the deadline, including one that would have sent him to the Miami Marlins that apparently came very close to happening. Arizona could shop him again in the future, but it might make more sense to hope for him to rebuild some value first.

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In any case, delaying Miller’s free agency provides the Diamondbacks with some additional time and flexibility in attempting to turn this situation around. Miller himself might not be too thrilled about it, but his struggles this season gave Arizona every right to send him down to the minors. Everything hinges on whether or not he can get himself right.