Call to the pen
Fansided

New York Mets: Signing Andrew Miller and Building a Bullpen

By Dylan Smith

KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 24: Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) during the MLB game against the Kansas City Royals on August 24, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 24: Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) during the MLB game against the Kansas City Royals on August 24, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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New York Mets
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 18: Catcher Yan Gomes #7 celebrates with closing pitcher Andrew Miller #24 of the Cleveland Indians after the Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on September 18, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the White Sox 5-3. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

LHP: Andrew Miller, IP:34/ERA:4.24/WHIP:1.38/ERA+:1.04

Rumors started to swirl when Joel Sherman of the New York Post first linked Andrew Miller to the New York Mets. Jon Morosi of MLB Network then followed up on that by tweeting that a source indicated that the Mets have expressed a strong interest in the free agent left-hander, citing a close relationship with his former pitching coach and the Mets’ current manager, Mickey Callaway. The story continued to develop as SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the Mets have requested Miller’s medicals.

Andrew Miller would be a great addition to the New York Mets. His presence will help some of their younger arms, and he should be able to help Mickey Callaway shut down games in the late innings.

Miller’s unorthodox use started this “new age of bullpening” and his addition to the New York Mets will be extremely valuable as they continue to change their culture.

Andrew Miller has the track record of being able to dominate against right and left-handed batters.

This versatility is valuable as teams search for pitchers to perform in high leverage spots. These high leverage spots don’t just appear at the end of games. Miller has shown that he can close games, throw up a zero in the middle innings, or even throw multiple innings.

The only role that Miller has yet to fill is that of an opener, as teams like the Tampa Bay Rays even believe that high leverage spots can occur at the beginning of games.

Before signing the decorated reliever, the Mets need to make sure that he is healthy. Miller missed time in 2018 with a hamstring injury and a left shoulder impingement. He also has been dealing with knee issues that date back to 2017.

It has been reported that Miller has been deemed as healthy, but the Mets are burned by injuries. The club needs to proceed with CAUTION. Andrew Miller can’t be extremely valuable if he is on the disabled list.

Let’s dive into the Amazins’ 2018 bullpen, and see how Miller could help improve their current roster situation.

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