Arizona Diamondbacks Shopping Shelby Miller
By Nick Fustor
The Arizona Diamondbacks offseason trade for Shelby Miller is widely regarded as one of the worst in MLB history. Now, it seems that Arizona is looking to trade Miller in an effort to get some sort of valuable assets in return.
Just when it seemed Shelby Miller’s 2016 couldn’t get any worse, reports surfaced that the team is looking to trade the 25-year-old just midway through his first season with the team.
After giving up last year’s number one pick Dansby Swanson, emerging outfielder Ender Inciarte and top pitching prospect Aaron Blair, it’s clear that the Diamondbacks were on the bad end of one of the worst trades in MLB history.
Sources: The Diamondbacks have let teams know Shelby Miller is available in a trade. Price isn't nearly what it cost them eight months ago.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 24, 2016
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported that Arizona’s asking price for Miller is well below what they gave up to acquire him, and for obvious reasons. After establishing himself as the ace of the lowly Atlanta Braves, Miller has looked like a different pitcher this season.
His 7.14 ERA, 5.65 FIP, decrease in strikeouts and increase in walks have all added together to make Miller a walking loss on the field. A decrease in velocity (92.7 this season after posting a 94.1 mark in 2015) is one of the clear reasons for his struggles, and is leading to a marked increase in home runs allowed.
It’s hard to explain why Miller’s velocity has decreased, but it’s likely due to a slight change in throwing motion or some nagging injury that hasn’t surfaced yet. Whatever the cause, Miller’s struggles landed him in Triple-A – which is quite the fall from grace for a pitcher that netted the Braves last year’s number one pick.
Upon his demotion to Triple-A, Miller went 6.2 innings while allowing three runs on four hits. Sure, looks solid. What stands out, however, is his 10 strikeouts. Miller didn’t record more than six strikeouts in the entirety of his 14 starts with Arizona this season.
Assuming Miller’s struggles this season were purely mental and he can return to form in Triple-A, he could be a solid addition to any team’s rotation this season. At 25, Miller has yet to reach his peak – and quite frankly may just not fit in with Arizona.
Since the Diamondbacks wouldn’t net much in return for Miller if they were to trade him now, they’ll likely be better suited to wait until the offseason at the very least.
But if the team is insistent on trading him and he can prove he’s fixed in the next week, here’s three potential destinations where Miller could wind up.
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