December 15, 2018
The Phillies have been rather quiet the last few days, not making nearly the splash many expected at MLB's Winter Meetings in Las Vegas this past week — with the exception of signing veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a three-year deal.
And while it seems as though the Phillies will have to wait on prize free agent hitters like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, a report from Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia on Friday afternoon indicated that they may not be waiting as long to go after the bullpen help they seek.
Still hearing the Phillies are strongly on Andrew Miller.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) December 14, 2018
The Phillies had also been linked to reliever Zach Britton, who is represented by the same agent as Harper, Scott Boras, but Salisbury's colleague, Corey Seidman, believes the left-handed Miller, 33, is the much better option for the Phils, despite his somewhat concerning injury history.
And looking at his numbers, you can see why.
From 2014-17, he made 260 appearances and had a 1.72 ERA with 421 strikeouts in 261 innings. There was simply no weakness in his game over those four years. Nobody hit him. Few players homered off him. He had an elite walk rate. Batters from both sides struggled mightily. ...
If the Phillies get Miller, the combo of Miller and Seranthony Dominguez would be one of baseball's most unique bullpen duos. They possess different strengths, and it's a good mix of youthful energy and veteran experience.
The addition of Miller would obviously help the Phillies a ton against tough lefties, but he's far from a platoon specialist. From 2013-17, righties hit between .131 and .155 off Miller each season. [nbcsports.com]
So what what might cost to acquire the services of a guy like Miller? Given the current market, Seidman believes it may need to be a three-year deal worth an average value of somewhere around $12 million to make it work.
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