Andrew Miller Archives - River Avenue Blues

The Cardinals, the Athletics, and two recent moves that could potentially impact the Yankees

December 26, 2018 by Mike

Baseball is a zero-sum game. There are only so many wins to go around and every win you add to your roster is a win you take away from everyone else. Everything is interconnected. The Yankees traded for James Paxton? Well, that impacted how the Mariners proceeded with the rest of their offseason, and thus how several other teams proceeded with their offseasons. Everything affects everything else.

In the annual mad transaction rush before the holidays last week, several moves were made that have an indirect impact on the Yankees. Some are more applicable to the Yankees than others, of course, but all those moves do change the offseason calculus for Brian Cashman & Co. Here are two recent transactions and their potential trickle-down effect on the Yankees.

Cardinals sign Andrew Miller

The Cardinals gave Miller a two-year contract with a vesting option to serve as their primary high-leverage reliever. He might close, he might set up, he might do a little of both. Miller joins flamethrower Jordan Hicks and rookie Dakota Hudson in the late innings for St. Louis. The Yankees reportedly had interest in a reunion with Miller and now he’s no longer available. Stinks.

Miller’s deal with the Cardinals is notable because, according to Alex Pavlovic, the Giants had been waiting for him to sign before exploring opportunities to trade their own lefty relievers, specifically Will Smith and Tony Watson. All the teams that lost out on Miller — that includes the Yankees, obviously — could now shift gears and discuss Smith and Watson with San Francisco. They might be the best lefties on the market other than Zach Britton.

Smith, 29, returned from Tommy John surgery and threw 53 innings with a 2.55 ERA (2.07 FIP) and very good strikeout (33.8%) and walk (7.1%) rates in 2018. Remove intentional walks and Smith had a 5.4% walk rate. That’s about as well as you could reasonably expect a pitcher to perform in his first year back from elbow reconstruction. Smith will be a free agent next winter and MLBTR projects a $4.1M salary in 2019. A bargain for a reliever of this caliber in his final arbitration year.

The 33-year-old Watson had a 2.59 ERA (2.45 FIP) in 66 innings this past season, and he too posted strong strikeout (27.6%) and walk (5.4%) rates. He was primarily a sinker guy with the Pirates back in the day but is now more of a four-seamer/slider pitcher, which has led to more strikeouts and fewer grounders. Watson has an unusual contract. He’s guaranteed only $9M from 2018-19 but a boatload of incentives could nearly double it.

The Yankees tried to sign Watson last offseason. Barring a change of heart (always possible), they likely still have some lingering interest. Watson’s contract is complicated and his $4.5M luxury tax hit could quickly become $7M thanks to the bonuses (the exact bonus criteria is unknown), but maybe that’s not a dealbreaker. Smith is younger and cheaper, and he was better this past season. That said, he’s only a year removed from Tommy John surgery.

Watson and/or Smith would both be strong additions to the bullpen and we know the Yankees are looking for two relievers. They may be left-handed, but they’re not strict left-on-left matchup guys. They can work full innings. Now that Miller’s off the board and the Giants are ready to gauge the market on their relievers, the Yankees could touch base and rekindle their interest in Watson, or try for Smith.

Athletics trade for Jurickson Profar

Profar was the centerpiece of my 2018-19 Offseason Plan but we never did hear anything about the Yankees having interest in him. Not this offseason, anyway. We’ve certainly heard it in the past. Instead, the rebuilding Rangers sent Profar to the Athletics in a three-team trade with the Rays last week. Long story short, Texas traded Profar for four Double-A prospects and some international bonus money.

The trade means two things for the Athletics. One, they will not re-sign Jed Lowrie. They have their second baseman in Profar. “Jed was huge … I cannot overstate how important Jed was to this team, and we certainly wish him nothing but the best as his career moves forward,” said A’s GM David Forst to Chris Haft following the trade. Profar will take over at second base and Oakland will redirect their money to starting pitching.

And two, longtime top prospect Franklin Barreto still doesn’t have a place to play. I thought the A’s would move on from Lowrie and install Barreto at second base, but nope, they added Profar. The soon-to-be 23-year-old Barreto has been a consensus top 100 prospect four years running and, prior to the 2018 season, Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him as the 43rd best prospect in the game. Here’s a snippet of their scouting report:

Originally a shortstop, Barreto has spent time at second base in the minors and majors. He has the arm and range to play shortstop in the bigs, but is better suited for second because his arm at short can be a little erratic. As a hitter, he uses the whole field and has more power than you’d expect from someone his size (5-foot-10, 190 lbs.). He needs to improve his plate discipline to get the most from his above-average bat and surprising power. His plus speed makes him a basestealing threat … If he can become a bit more polished, he can be a first-division regular at second base.

Barreto has had some cups of coffee with the A’s the last two years, hitting .215/.252/.424 (79 wRC+) with seven homers in 151 MLB plate appearances. He’s spent most of the last two seasons in Triple-A and is a career .284/.342/.458 (113 wRC+) hitter with 34 homers in 192 games at the level. It seems like it’s time to see what Barreto can do at the MLB level, you know? Instead, the A’s traded for Profar to play second base.

I don’t blame Oakland one bit. As a small market team, their windows to win are relatively short, and Profar is much better able to help them capitalize on their current window than Barreto. And besides, it’s not like Profar is an older veteran. He’s a 25-year-old former super-elite prospect who seemed to come into his own this past season. There’s a reason he was included in my offseason plan. It appears Profar is about to really break out.

Anyway, the Profar trade means Lowrie has one less suitor, and it may mean Barreto is available in a trade. The Yankees need a middle infielder and they could now pursue Lowrie or Barreto. The A’s really need rotation help. Is there a Sonny Gray-for-Barreto trade framework that makes sense? Oakland has interest in a reunion with Sonny, remember. And if the two teams can’t find common ground in a Barreto trade, is Lowrie’s price right for the Yankees now that the A’s are out of the picture?

* * *

I thought about including the Dodgers releasing Homer Bailey in here as well but nah. He’s pitched so poorly the last few seasons (6.25 ERA and 5.13 FIP in 231.2 innings from 2014-18) that, even at the pro-rated portion of the league minimum as a released player, he doesn’t have many (any?) redeeming qualities. Yeah, Bailey would be a low risk pickup, but it’s also low reward. The Yankees have signed worse pitchers though, so who knows.

The Bailey thing would be whatever. Low cost, low risk, low impact, etc. The Giants putting their top lefty relievers on the trade market and Lowrie having one fewer suitor are not insignificant offseason developments, however. Ditto the Barreto thing if the Athletics do make him available. The Miller signing and Profar trade had nothing to do with the Yankees directly, but those moves do have a domino effect around the league, and the Yankees could be among the teams that benefit.

Hot Stove Rumors: Machado, Britton, Corbin, Eovaldi, Miller

December 24, 2018 by Mike

It’s been five years since the last notable transaction on Christmas Eve (Dodgers signed Jamey Wright in 2013) and 13 years since the last notable transaction on Christmas Day (Angels re-signed Tim Salmon in 2005). Will we get a Christmas deal this year? Probably not! But maybe. Anyway, here are the latest hot stove rumblings.

Machado decision will come in 2019

According to Jon Heyman, Manny Machado has let teams know his free agent decision won’t come until after New Years. Does that mean soon after New Years, as in sometime next week, or after New Years in general, as in potentially mid-to-late January (or even later)? I guess we’ll find out. Machado visited the White Sox and Phillies in addition to the Yankees last week and those three teams are believed to be his most serious (only?) suitors.

Not surprisingly, there have been reports indicating the Yankees will only sign Machado at their price, which is said to be something south of ten years and $300M. Those “the Yankees will only sign/trade for him at their price” rumors are pretty common these days. It behooves the Yankees to downplay their interest to prevent other teams from driving up the price. I get the feeling the Phillies will not be outbid for Machado. The Yankees might have to step outside their comfort zone to make this happen.

Yankees are a “lead” team for Britton

The Yankees are among the “lead” teams for free agent lefty Zach Britton, reports Heyman. The Phillies are in that mix as well. The Yankees are looking to add two relievers this offseason and they’ve been connected to Britton basically since the end of the season. He’s said he’d “love to be back” with New York as well, so there’s mutual interest. That said, money talks, and this may be Britton’s only chance at a huge free agent payday.

Between the Orioles and Yankees this past season the just turned 31-year-old Britton posted a 3.10 ERA (4.22 FIP) with an okay strikeout rate (20.1%), a high walk rate (12.4%), and an excellent ground ball rate (73.0%). He was much better as he got further away from his offseason Achilles surgery. The Yankees have about $16M to spend under the $197M luxury tax threshold assuming Sonny Gray and his projected $9.1M salary are traded away at some point. Britton would presumably eat up most of that $16M in payroll space.

Yankees didn’t make offers to Corbin, Eovaldi, Miller

The Yankees never made official contracts offers to former free agent hurlers Patrick Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Miller according to Jack Curry, Erik Boland, and Andy Martino. This is all semantics and it gets talked about every offseason. The two sides talked contract terms, of course, but the Yankees never presented an official offer to be signed. That’s all. They discussed money and tried to found common ground and that’s the most important thing.

Once the holidays pass, the Yankees will have a lot to do before Spring Training, most notably securing a Didi Gregorius replacement and bulking up the bullpen. I get the sense the Gregorius replacement will go one of two ways. Either the Yankees will go big and sign Machado, or they’ll go cheap and sign someone like Freddy Galvis or Jose Iglesias in February. Offers or no offers, the Yankees still have a lot to do this winter. The first few weeks after New Years should be busy.

Bullpen option off the board: Andrew Miller heads to Cardinals

December 20, 2018 by Mike

Friday: The Cardinals announced the signing today, so it’s a done deal. Two years with a vesting option. Ken Rosenthal says Miller will earn $11M in 2019 and $11.5M in 2020. The $12M option for 2021 vests with 110 appearances from 2019-20 and comes with a $2.5M buyout. Similar to the Yankees and J.A. Happ, Miller wanted a three-year deal and was willing to compromise on a vesting option.

Thursday: According to multiple reports, free agent left-hander Andrew Miller has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Cardinals. The contract details are unknown at this point but Miller was said to be seeking three years. Either way, he’s heading to St. Louis and there is now one fewer free agent reliever on the board.

It was reported in recent weeks that the Yankees had interest in reunion with Miller. They reviewed his medicals in November — that was much more than a formality given this season’s hamstring, knee, and shoulder trouble — and Brian Cashman met with Miller’s agent at some point, likely during the Winter Meetings last week.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Andrew Miller but giving three years to a soon-to-be 34-year-old reliever with an injury history makes me a tad squeamish. Miller clearly was not himself this season, throwing 34 innings with a 4.24 ERA (3.51 FIP) and 29.2% strikeouts. Giving him three years at this point really would’ve been pushing it, I think.

Miller, Jeurys Familia, and Joe Kelly have all signed within the last week or so. The free agent market still offers plenty of quality relievers though, including David Robertson, Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino, and Craig Kimbrel. The Yankees are reportedly seeking two relievers. My guess is they’ll sign a big name and add an under-the-radar type.

Hot Stove Rumors: Machado, Tulowitzki, Miller, Kikuchi, Gray

December 17, 2018 by Mike

“You want us to add how many zeroes to our offer???” (Mike Zarrilli/Getty)

The Winter Meetings are over but the hot stove marches on. The Yankees are still looking for a middle infielder and two relievers, plus general depth. “I got a lot of lines out and we are still fishing. We are going to try to catch a very particular type of fish in very particular categories. We will bring the boat back to dock and send her out tomorrow and drop our lines again,” said Brian Cashman to George King last week. Here are the latest hot stove rumblings.

Machado will visit Yankees on Wednesday

Manny Machado will visit the Yankees on Wednesday, reports George King. He’ll reportedly visit the White Sox and Phillies at some point this week as well. Machado will be the second free agent to visit the Yankees this offseason (that we know about), joining Patrick Corbin. Corbin inked a six-year deal with the Nationals a few days after touring Yankee Stadium. I don’t get the sense Machado will sign as quickly after the face-to-face meetings as Corbin, but who knows.

Hal Steinbrenner has made it clear Machado needs to explain the non-hustle thing before the Yankees would consider signing him, but seriously, what answer could Machado give that’s satisfactory? I doubt “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” will cut it. To me, Hal’s comments are little more than a great sound bite to placate the portion of the fan base that obsesses over this stuff. The Yankees value Machado at X and they will sign him if he agrees to X (or something less than X), not if he says the right things at the meeting Wednesday. End of story.

Yankees will “monitor” Tulowitzki’s progress

According to Nick Cafardo, the Yankees will “monitor” free agent infielder Troy Tulowitzki’s progress as he works his way back from dual heel surgeries. The Blue Jays released Tulowitzki with two years and $38M remaining on his contract last week. Any team can now sign him for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum. Six teams, including the Cubs, are after Tulo, report Susan Slusser and Jon Heyman.

Tulowitzki, 34, has not played since July 2017 due to a variety of injuries. He hit .249/.300/.378 (79 wRC+) with crummy defensive numbers in 66 games in 2017. Reports indicate Tulowitzki has recovered from his heel surgeries and is working out, and is willing to play second or third base. He’s going to hold a showcase at some point, apparently. I’m not against bringing Tulowitzki in as a low-cost flier. Does it make sense for the Yankees to guarantee him the type of playing time it’ll probably take to sign him though? Eh. Debatable.

Cashman met with Miller’s agent

Brian Cashman met with Mark Rodgers, Andrew Miller’s agent, at some point his offseason, reports Kristie Ackert. My guess is it was at the Winter Meetings last week. (Cashman met with Adam Ottavino’s agent last week.) The Yankees reviewed Miller’s medicals earlier this winter, which is a) not unusual for a free agent, and b) more than a formality given his injury problems this past season (hamstring, knee, shoulder). That they reviewed the medicals and still have interest suggests they feel good about things.

The Cardinals, Mets, and Phillies are among the teams that are said to have interest in Miller this offseason and the free agent reliever floodgates may open now that Jeurys Familia and Joe Kelly have signed. Familia got three years and $30M and Miller wouldn’t be wrong to seek a larger contract. Three years is really pushing it at this point giving the knee problems that span multiple seasons. Perhaps Miller would be open to returning to New York on a higher priced two-year deal? I guess the more relevant question is whether the Yankees are open to a higher priced short-term contract, or would they tack on that extra year to get a lower luxury tax hit? I guess we’ll find out.

Kikuchi to begin meeting with teams this week

Yusei Kikuchi traveled to Los Angeles this past weekend and will begin meeting with interested teams in the coming days, report the Kyodo News and Sports Nippon. “(I) will narrow down the choices after hearing the opinions of my agent and Japanese staff,” he said, adding he will “of course” be open to joining any of the 30 teams. Kikuchi is a Scott Boras client and it sounds like the bulk of meetings will take place at Boras’ Southern California office.

Last week Brian Cashman admitted the Yankees scouted Kikuchi “extensively” and said he’s discussed the 27-year-old southpaw with Boras. That was before the Yankees re-signed J.A. Happ, however, so it’s unclear whether the Yankees will meet with Kikuchi and make a serious attempt to sign him. It could be they’re done with their rotation and will now move on to other things. Here’s everything you need to know about Kikuchi. I’d be totally cool with pursuing him and going into next season with a six-man or modified six-man rotation until someone gets hurt, which will happen because it always happens.

Yankees still evaluating Gray’s market

In the latest Sonny Gray non-update, George King reports the Yankees are still evaluating the trade market for the right-hander. “As far as Sonny Gray, (we) continue to assess all options with him. There are various opportunities to consider, different types of deals that are being offered. We are weighing all our needs, both now and future needs and prospects and Major League pieces and what holes we can fill on the Major League roster,” said assistant GM Mike Fishman.

Last week it was reported eleven teams initially showed interest in Gray, and the Yankees have since whittled the list down to a handful of serious suitors. The asking price is said to be high — the Yankees asked the Reds for top prospect Taylor Trammell — though I imagine it’ll come down soon enough. Now that J.A. Happ has returned and the Yankees have their five starters in place, their efforts to move Gray could pick up steam. His projected $9.1M salary is a nice chunk of change the Yankees could use to address needs elsewhere on the roster.

Scouting the Free Agent Market: Herrera and Miller

December 6, 2018 by Domenic Lanza

A few weeks ago, Brian Cashman told Joel Sherman that the Yankees are looking to add two relievers this off-season. That makes quite a bit of sense, considering that two of the team’s biggest name relievers in Zach Britton and David Robertson hit the free agent market; moreover, the league-wide increase in reliance upon the bullpen all but began in New York, meaning this is nothing new. And, luckily, there are plenty of quality arms on the market to reinforce the arms at Aaron Boone’s disposal.

We will eventually get to the majority of the high-end relief options on the market (barring players signing before we have the chance to get to them), though we will avoid the players that are locks to secure a closing role and, therefore, closer money. And I’ll kick-start that effort today by taking a look at two of the highest-ceiling commodities on the market, that just so happened to battle injuries last year.

Kelvin Herrera

2018 Stats – 44.1 IP, 20.7 K%, 5.4 BB%, 35.6 GB%, 2.44 ERA, 3.95 FIP

The 28-year-old Herrera was a member of the vaunted Royals bullpen that helped them reach back-to-back World Series in 2014 and 2015, throwing a combined 139.2 innings of 2.06 ERA ball in the regular season. And he was even better in the playoffs, pitching to a microscopic 1.26 ERA in 28.2 postseason innings. He hasn’t quite pitched at that level since, but a 3.18 ERA (138 ERA+) over the last three years is still quite good, to say the least.

Last season, however, was a tale of two seasons for Herrera, revolving around the mid-June deal that sent him from Kansas City to Washington. Take a look at his splits:

KC – 25.2 IP, 23.2 K%, 2.1 BB%, 37.1 GB%, 1.05 ERA, 2.69 FIP
WAS – 18.2 IP, 18.0 K%, 9.0 BB%, 33.9 GB%, 4.34 ERA, 5.68 FIP

That’s … not encouraging. Though, for better or worse, there is something of tangible reason for this drop in productivity. His velocity remained mostly steady, but did dip a bit post-trade:

And his release points were all over the place:

And we also know that he was battling an undisclosed shoulder injury – referred to as ‘tightness’ – whilst in our nation’s capital. It seems as if health was the issue.

Of course, the elephant in the room isn’t that he didn’t perform well with the Nationals; it’s that Herrera still isn’t completely healthy. His season ended in late-August due to a Lisfranc tear, and his timetable for return is up in the air. There are several reports out there saying that Herrera and his representatives expect him to be ready for the start of the season – but they kind of have to say that, right? The only real information that we have is that he started doing some light throwing the other day, courtesy of his Twitter feed:

??? some light toss today. pic.twitter.com/UY1vnYeW0Q

— Kelvin Herrera (@KelvinHerrera40) December 4, 2018

That’s encouraging, even if it’s off flat ground and at way less than maximum effort.

With all that in mind, what will he cost?

MLBTR projects a one-year, $9 MM pillow contract for Herrera; Jim Bowden predicts a similar deal, albeit for $11 MM. And, unless he proves to be completely healthy or teams believe that he’ll be ready for a full Spring Training, I think that makes sense. And he wasn’t eligible for the qualifying offer due to being dealt in-season, so there’s no hidden cost, either.

So does he make sense for the Yankees? I think so, especially if it’s a one-year deal. He has a terrific track record, and he was great before his shoulder started barking last year. The flyball tendencies that he developed in 2018 aren’t great – but it didn’t hurt Chad Green or Jonathan Holder or Adam Warren last year. A healthy Herrera should be expected to thrive in any environment.

Andrew Miller

2018 Stats – 34.0 IP, 29.2 K%, 10.4 BB%, 47.7 GB%, 4.24 ERA, 3.51 FIP

On the off-chance that you need a refresher, Miller was arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball from 2013 through 2017, pitching to a 1.82 ERA (234 ERA+) in 291.2 IP. That 1.82 ERA ranked third among all relievers in baseball in that stretch, and his 291.2 IP ranked 30th. Add in a ludicrous 41.1 K% (2nd) and 33.7 K-BB% (2nd), and … well … what more needs to be said?

Unfortunately, Miller was awfully mortal in 2018. And it was largely due to the fact that he hit the disabled list three times – once with a hamstring strain, then with inflammation in his right knee, and then a left shoulder impingement. None of those are encouraging for any pitcher, yet all feel even more worrisome for a gigantic pitcher that’ll turn 34 in May.

You can see the impact of the injuries and/or age on his velocity:

This graph captures his career since shifting to the bullpen full-time in 2012. His fastball and slider has been relatively steady over the last few years, and then dropped off by nearly a full tick in 2018. That’s not uncommon for a pitcher entering his mid-30s, nor is it the sort of drop-off that makes him unpitchable – especially as a southpaw. It’s still not something that you ever want to see, though, particularly in an abrupt manner.

There is a silver lining in the form of his pre-injury performance, though. It was an incredibly small sample size, but Miller posted the following line before tweaking his hamstring: 10 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB (1 IBB), 17 K. Moreover, his velocity was at its high point of the season, which isn’t too common. The walks are high, but outside of that he looked like prime Miller.

It’s improbable that the team that signs Miller will see his prime form, but I do think that there enough positive signs to suggest that he will be better than he was last year. His strikeout rate was still comfortably above average, as was his groundball rate, and he was healthy and effective after returning from his shoulder injury. And, unlike Herrera, he healthy at this point in time.

There’s more of a disconnect with projections of Miller’s contract as a result of all of this. MLBTR sees him garnering a 3-year, $27 MM deal, whereas Bowden predicts a one-year, $10 MM pillow contract. I’d love the latter; I’m not too sure how I feel about the former. Cleveland didn’t extend Miller the qualifying offer, so his sole cost will be straight cash.

I think Miller makes more sense for the Yankees, due to the greater certainty of his current health, his familiarity with the park and organization, and his handedness. But I don’t think a 3-year deal makes a tremendous amount of sense, given the team’s budget (whatever it may be) and the glut of solid relievers on the market. One year? I’m all-in. Two years? I’m a bit apprehensive, but I’d probably do it. Three years? Only if that last year is a team or vesting option. And that’s tough for me to say, as Miller remains one of my favorite pitchers in the game.

Hot Stove Rumors: Realmuto, Corbin, Miller, Greinke, Gray

December 3, 2018 by Mike

We’re now into December, traditionally the busiest month of the offseason, and next week the 2018 Winter Meetings begin in Las Vegas. I suspect the Yankees will be among the most active teams at the Winter Meetings. If not transactions-wise, then rumors-wise. Here are the latest hot stove rumblings.

Cashman shoots down Realmuto rumor

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees were among the teams with interest in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto but “resisted offering other top pieces in a package with (Gary) Sanchez.” Brian Cashman shot that rumor down. “False. Completely false. I saw that somebody had written that we had offered for Realmuto. That is completely false,” said Brian Cashman to George King over the weekend. “(Sanchez) is not for sale,” Cashman added during a YES Network interview (video link), which, to be fair, is what he’d say even if he were open to trading Sanchez.

When I saw the Realmuto rumor my first thought was the Marlins leaked it in an effort to drive up the price for other teams. It doesn’t really pass the sniff test otherwise. I mean, Sanchez and more for Realmuto? Selling low on Gary to buy high on (the very good) Realmuto is a hard pass for me. Sanchez is two years younger, under control two years longer, and almost certainly the more talented player even if he didn’t show it this past season. Their numbers through their age 25 seasons do not compare. Juicy rumor. Fortunately it seems to be nothing more than that.

Corbin meets with Yankees during recruiting trip

Last week Patrick Corbin went on a three-city recruiting trip through Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. The Yankees did the “photoshopped picture on the scoreboard” thing (here’s a photo) and, according to Ken Davidoff, Corbin toured Yankee Stadium and met with Cashman, Aaron Boone, Larry Rothschild, Mike Harkey, and traveling analyst Zac Fieroh. He also ran into CC Sabathia, who was at the park for an offseason workout.

“I wouldn’t call it a recruiting effort as much as an educational effort, where (he’s) getting a chance to see the facilities from the home side (after being here as a visitor),” said Cashman during a recent YES Network interview (video link). “… He’ll get access to all aspects of what we’re about. The brand, our efforts, the people, with Aaron Boone and our coaches and myself and hopefully he’ll walk away getting a better feel for who we are.”

For what it’s worth, Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) reports the Nationals are “seriously focused” on Corbin and are believed to be willing to offer six years to get him. It seems Yu Darvish’s six-year, $126M contract with the Cubs is the benchmark here. Of course, a six-year deal is likely to include an opt-out along the way, which changes the calculus a bit. Well, either way, Corbin visited the Yankees last week, and reports indicate he’s looking to sign soon. I hereby dub this situation: “developing.”

Yankees “badly” want another starter this week

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees “badly” want another starter before the Winter Meetings. That jibes with what we heard yesterday. Jayson Stark says the Yankees haven’t ruled out adding two “high-profile” starters — Andy Martino again names Corbin and J.A. Happ as the likely targets — though that seems like a stretch. This strikes me as one of those general “we’re open to the idea” offseason rumors. Adding two starters would be kinda cool though.

As for the report that the Yankees “badly” want a starter before the Winter Meetings, I totally buy it. First and foremost, they want to get the rotation locked down, the sooner the better. Secondly, once the rotation is set, the Yankees will know exactly what resources they have available (trade chips, payroll space) to pursue bullpen help and a Didi Gregorius replacement. The longer the search for a starter drags out, the more unpredictable it gets. (Wanting a starter this week presumably takes the Yankees out of the running for Yusei Kikuchi, whose 30-day posting period opens tomorrow and closes in early-January.)

Yankees have Miller on their radar

The Yankees have Andrew Miller on their radar, according to George King. King also reiterates the team’s interest in Adam Ottavino. A few weeks ago we heard the Yankees requested Miller’s medical information, which is a) standard operation procedure (teams request the medical information of lots of players each winter), and b) not a mere formality given his knee trouble the last two years and shoulder trouble this year. Those medicals will be heavily scrutinized.

Miller, 33, pitched to a 4.24 ERA (3.51 FIP) with 29.2% strikeouts and 10.4% walks in 34 innings around the injuries this past season. Those numbers are far worse than what he did as a full-time reliever from 2014-17. The injuries stink but are not necessarily a dealbreaker. With good health, it’s not all that difficult to envision Miller turning in one or two more dominant seasons before things slip for good. The question is how much are the Yankees willing to bet on that? They supposedly want two relievers and a reunion with Miller could be in the cards.

Yankees on Greinke’s no-trade list

According to Zach Buchanan (subs. req’d), the Yankees are on Zack Greinke’s 15-team no-trade list. Like most no-trade lists, Greinke’s includes big market teams that would theoretically be willing to compensate him for waiving his no-trade cause (Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies) and rebuilding teams he presumably doesn’t want to play for (Orioles, Tigers, Reds). For what it’s worth, Buchanan says there’s “no way” the Diamondbacks would attach Greinke to Paul Goldschmidt in an effort to unload his contract a la Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.

Greinke, 35, posted a 3.21 ERA (3.71 FIP) with 23.7% strikeouts and 5.1% walks in 207.2 innings this past season — it was the tenth time in the last eleven seasons he threw at least 170 innings and the eighth time he threw at least 200 innings — so he’s still crazy good. He’s also owed $104.5M the next three years. It should noted the Yankees have steered clear of Greinke whenever he’s become available via trade or free agency. They’ve made it pretty clear they don’t think he’d mix well in New York. Oh well. Even if they were open to a trade, Greinke would have to approve it.

Eleven teams in on Gray

There are eleven teams in on Sonny Gray, reports Davidoff. Among them are the Athletics, Reds, Braves, Padres, Rangers, and Twins. “I’ve had a lot of interesting dialogue, whether it’s for prospects, whether it’s for Major League our need for their need, whether it’s part of a complicated larger situation that involves prospects and Major Leaguers going both ways. So I think we’ve had a little bit of experience with all aspects of it,” said Cashman.

I honestly have no preference here. Normally I lean toward MLB ready players in return — the Yankees are a win now team, after all — but, if the best offer for Gray is a Single-A prospect(s), so be it. One way or the other, the inevitable Gray trade will help the Yankees at the MLB level. Either they’ll trade him for a big leaguer or they’ll trade him for a prospect(s) and unload his salary, which can then be used on a free agent. I’m not gonna lie, I’m kinda surprised Sonny is still a Yankee. I thought he’d be gone by now.

Hot Stove Rumors: Goldschmidt, Miller, Harrison

November 8, 2018 by Mike

The GM Meetings wrapped up today and there was some hot stove action this week. The Yankees re-signed CC Sabathia and, last night, the Rays traded Mallex Smith to the Mariners for Mike Zunino. Not mad about it. Smith gave the Yankees some headaches the last two years. Anyway, here’s the latest.

Yankees not showing interest in Goldschmidt

As expected, the Diamondbacks are receiving considerable interest in first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, but not from the Yankees, reports Jon Heyman. Arizona collapsed this past season — they were one game up in the NL West on the morning of September 1st and finished nine games back — and they stand to lose Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock to free agency. They’ve hinted at tearing things down and rebuilding, and they have some possible fits for the Yankees.

Goldschmidt, 31, is the best first baseman in baseball and on the short list of the best players in the game overall. He hit .290/.389/.533 (145 wRC+) with 33 homers this past season and is a Gold Glove caliber defender. The D’Backs exercised his no-brainer $14.5M club option last week, so he’s a one-year rental. The Yankees might have two viable big league first basemen (Luke Voit and Greg Bird) or they might have none. I dunno. Either way, Goldschmidt would be a clear upgrade, but he wouldn’t come cheap, even with one year of control. For now, the Yankees aren’t showing interest.

Yankees have interest in Miller

The Yankees have interest in free agent lefty reliever Andrew Miller and have requested his medical information, reports Andy Martino. As I noted yesterday, lots of team request medical information from lots of players, especially early in the offseason. It doesn’t mean they are progressing toward a deal or anything. The team is just doing due diligence. Miller had shoulder trouble this year and has had knee problems the last two years. In fact, the Indians even sent him to see the Cleveland Cavaliers’ doctors because they have more experience with tall dudes and knee injuries.

This past season the 33-year-old Miller had a 4.24 ERA (3.51 FIP) with 29.2% strikeouts in 34 innings around his injuries. He was far more wild and hittable than he’d been the last few years. If you watched the postseason, you know Miller wasn’t right. He didn’t look like himself at all. For what it’s worth, Miller’s agent told Joel Sherman his client recently received a clean bill of health. That’s great, but teams are going to give him their own physical and make sure for themselves. Miller’s a great dude, but he’s entering his mid-30s and he seems to be breaking down physically. His medicals will be scrutinized.

Yankees have met with Harrison

I had a feeling this was coming. According to Heyman, the Yankees have interest in free agent utility man Josh Harrison and have already met with his representatives. I assume that happened at the GM Meetings this week. Didi Gregorius will miss the start of the season with Tommy John surgery and the Yankees need a replacement middle infielder. Harrison can play second, then, once Gregorius returns, he could shift into a utility role.

Harrison, 31, hit .250/.293/.363 (78 wRC+) this past season and is a year removed from a .272/.339/.432 (104 wRC+) batting line with a career high 16 homers. His OBP was propped up by 23 (!) hit-by-pitches. Harrison was hit 23 times in 128 games last year. He was hit 31 times in the other 714 games of his career. The Yankees have been connected to Harrison a few times in recent years but never seemed to seriously pursue him. Now that he’s available for nothing but cash, the Yankees could pounce. I hope he’s Plan C or Plan D rather than Plan A or Plan B though.