The San Francisco Giants have internally discussed acquiring New York Yankees reliever Andrew Miller.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the news.
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Giants May Need to Deal Top Prospect
Saturday, June 4
In order to trade for Miller, the Giants could have to part with top pitching prospect Tyler Beede, according to Rosenthal.
Beede, 23, was the team’s first-round pick in 2014 out of Vanderbilt. With Double-A Richmond this season, Beede is 3-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 10 starts.
Miller has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the early part of this season. He is part of an explosive bullpen that features Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, but USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale speculated on May 27 that if the Yankees are not contending by the Aug. 1 trade deadline, Miller may be gone.
New York general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged this, per Nightengale.
“If we’re in there, we’ll be trying to add,” Cashman said on May 26. “If we’re not good enough, then, it will be the opposite.
“[Betances, Chapman and Miller] are valuable, that’s why we have them.”
The Yankees are 25-29 and fourth in the American League East. They are also second-to-last in the AL with 203 runs scored. So while New York has a powerful bullpen, the team is not scoring enough runs to utilize it.
Miller would be a huge addition to the Giants bullpen.
San Francisco is atop the National League West at 35-22 and sixth in the NL in runs scored. It is also fifth in team ERA.
The team does not have an elite lineup or pitching staff, so adding Miller would help secure leads that could be given away from poor pitching or are insurmountable from an average offense.
Miller is in the second year of a four-year, $36 million deal, which is a relatively friendly contract for a top-notch reliever who can boost a World Series contender.
The Yankees need starting pitching, and the Giants need an anchor in the bullpen, so this trade would make a lot of sense for both sides.
Minor league statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. All other statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.com.
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