Major League Baseball’s free-agent market for relief pitchers is brimming with premier talent this winter and one of the best available is left-hander Andrew Miller, who was last featured in the Cleveland Indians bullpen.
As plenty of suitors are expected to be inquiring about Miller, including the St. Louis Cardinals, multiple reports have indicated that both the New York Mets and Yankees are interested in bringing the 33-year-old on
Over a five-season stretch from 2013-2017 in which he played for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Yankees, and Indians, Miller was one of the most dominant arms to come out of a bullpen in the league. In 297 appearances (291.2 innings) during that stretch, Miller sported a sterling 1.82 ERA while striking out 469 batters.
Last season saw Miller look far more mortal with a 4.24 ERA in 34 innings, but he spent a large portion of the year battling a shoulder injury.
It hasn’t deterred the Mets or Yankees from at least kicking the tires on Miller.
A possible reunification with the Yankees would make their already-imposing bullpen even more unstoppable. This is a unit that already features the likes of Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Chad Green. However, they will be contending with the possible losses of David Robertson and Zach Britton, both of whom are free agents this winter.
Bringing a healthy Miller back in would at least cushion the blow should they lose either of the two.
Per SNY’s Andy Martino, the Yankees have already requested the medicals on Miller to ensure he can return to the dominant southpaw the Yankees had for one-plus seasons before trading him in 2016 to Cleveland for Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield.
For the Mets, they are in far more of a desperate need for a big-time reliever. Bullpen help has been made a priority this offseason after they ranked 28th in the majors when it came to bullpen ERA.
At the moment, the only three arms that are being retained by new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen will be Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and Anthony Swarzak. It means that the Mets are not going to be going after multiple late-inning arms whether that also includes Britton, Adam Ottavino and Craig Kimbrel.
