If the St. Louis Cardinals are considering dealing the organization’s top-pitching prospect, Shelby Miller, there are a handful of potentially available pitchers they could go after.
While there is no guarantee they would be willing to part ways with him, his performance in 2012 has at least shown that he is not untouchable.
His last start was a major improvement, but he has not easily made the transition to Triple-A baseball.
Miller is 4-8 on the season with a 5.79 ERA with the Memphis Redbirds. In 82.1 innings pitched through 18 starts, the 21-year-old RHP has surrendered 17 home runs and 46 walks.
On the positive side, he also has 94 strikeouts. He still has some nasty pitches, but has not responded well to the improved hitting of the Pacific Coast League. Opposing batters are hitting .280 off of him to date.
Don’t let his record fool you. Miller still has what it takes to develop into a top-tier major league pitcher.
While his trade value might not be what it would have been last year, many clubs still know what he is capable of when he gets back on track.
If the Cardinals did decide to move him, what kind of impact players could they get?
In the case of most top-tier starting pitchers, Miller alone won’t make a deal. Following are a list of pitchers that might make the Cardinals more likely to move Miller.