Arizona Diamondbacks Shopping Shelby Miller
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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Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are the top of the AL East without anything in the form of a consistent rotation. Chris Tillman has returned to form after a down 2015 season, but Yovani Gallardo has been a mess in the middle of the rotation.
Kevin Gausman is in the midst of a breakout season, while Vance Worley has been solid as a spot starter. Dylan Bundy made his long awaited return as a starter recently, and could be in line to give the team a boost.
But with Gallardo’s struggles and inconsistency from the younger starters, the Orioles would be well pressed to add Miller.
While moving to the AL East may not be an easy transition for a pitcher in the NL West (see: Pomeranz, Drew), Miller was successful in the NL Central and East. Assuming his velocity returns and he can regain his control, pitching against the rest of the AL East may not be a major issue.
The problem for the Orioles is their lack of depth in the minors, but that shouldn’t be an issue if they offer players that have at least excelled at some level.
First baseman Trey Mancini is in the midst of a dominant season in which he’s hitting .304 with 17 homers in AA and AAA combined, and could possibly move to the outfield since he’s blocked by Chris Davis. Right-hander Ofelky Peralta is just 19 and has flashed his potential at Single-A, which makes him a prime target for the D-backs.
Next: Nation's Capital
Washington Nationals
Given their lack of depth at the back of the rotation and Miller’s success in the NL East, the Nationals seem to be a logical destination. With Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer dominating and Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark eating up innings in the middle, Miller could be a perfect candidate to take over the number five spot.
When Joe Ross returns from the disabled list, Roark could likely slide back into the bullpen while the team sends down top prospect Lucas Giolito. The Nats currently own the best ERA in baseball with a 3.24 mark, which would make it easier to stay atop the NL East assuming Miller struggles.
But if Miller returns to form, the Nats would have arguably the best rotation in baseball.
Given that Miller is still under team control, they could hang on to him in the minors if he struggles, or offer up a team-friendly deal if he returns to form.
Washington could likely offer up Reynaldo Lopez in return, as he flew threw the minors this season and has middle of the rotation potential. While Giolito and Trea Turner are clearly off limits, the D-backs may be able to negotiate for the Nats sixth ranked prospect, infielder Wilmer Difo as well.
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Miami Marlins
The Marlins are one of the more appealing options for Miller to be traded to, and could instantly benefit from his presence. Behind Jose Fernandez, the Marlins rotation is a disaster – but yet, they’ve managed to succeed this season and currently own a Wild Card spot.
Adding Miller to the middle of their rotation would finally give Miami a potential number two starter behind Fernandez.
While Adam Conley has been solid after an impressive rookie season, Wei-Yin Chen’s move out of Baltimore has been a disaster. Behind those two, Tom Koehler has been decent, but doesn’t provide the team a consistent starter for the stretch run.
Like the Orioles, the Marlins have very little major league potential in the minors – so they’d likely have to include a lot of players in order to make a deal worth it for Arizona. With the emergence of Justin Bour, Miami could include first baseman Josh Naylor – who they selected in the first round last season.
As for pitching prospects, Miami could include Kendry Flores, a 24-year-old right-hander with major league experience and plus command. Adding in some depth players would likely be enough to get a deal done, which would make the Marlins true contenders if Miller can pitch well down the stretch.
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While it’s hard to see the Diamondbacks trading Miller after just half a season, there will likely be plenty of teams vying for his services.