Waiver Wire Watch: Wade Miley An Option for Yankees?

Well, it’s worth a shot. The Yankees and Diamondbacks have already collaborated on two deals that sent pitcher Brandon McCarthy and super-utility player Martin Prado to New York. Could the big city and desert come together once again in 2014 to strike yet another trade? The Yankees are in search of starting pitching and not just for this year. They’ll need some quality arms going forward into 2015 and beyond. With starters Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka slowly working their way back, the Bombers may soon feel relief, but General Manager Brian Cashman could and probably will continue to pursue pitching via trade. Now that July 31st has passed, players will need to be put on waivers in order to be traded and one player who could be of interest was placed on that list yesterday. Wade Miley was placed on revocable waivers on Monday and the Yankees could be interested in acquiring the services of the 24-year-old lefty.

Here’s how waivers work. Once a player is put on waivers there are four possibilities:

The player passes through waivers and can be traded to any team
The player is claimed and is pulled back by his current team
The player is claimed and the the two teams work out a trade
The player is claimed and his current team awards him to the team that claimed him for nothing in return

Normally a player is more likely to pass waivers if he sports a big contract, which Miley does not (He’s making around $500K) so a team will likely claim him. But no one is sure if the Diamondbacks, in the middle of a miserable season, will sell off their home grown hurler. But, if the Yankees presented them with a nice package of prospects, it’d be hard for Arizona to pass up due to their current situation. The thing with Miley, is that he’s a young player under club control for multiple years so it’d wouldn’t be a bad move for the Yankees if they decided to trade off a pitching prospect like lefty Ian Clarkin. A package of Clarkin, J.R. Murphy and a few lower-level prospects could possibly pry the prized lefty from the clutches of the desert. Even with Clarkin having a very nice season in the minors and Murphy showing the Yankees he could be a big league catcher right now, the deal would favor the Yankees as Murphy will probably be nothing but a backup for the most part with catcher of the future Gary Sanchez marching through the minors and star slugger Brian McCann up in the majors with Francisco Cervelli as his backup. Giving up Clarkin wouldn’t be a bad idea at all because they’d be acquiring Miley, a young and very talented player who’d be with the team for a long time. It’d be a favorable deal for both sides were it to happen.

Now, acquiring Miley wouldn’t just be to help them get to the playoffs this year, like the recent acquisitions they’ve made. He’d be a solid 2,3 or 4 starter (Depending on further moves) for the Bombers for the future, something the Yankees are trying to build.

2014 Rotation with Miley (Without the possible returns of Mashiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda):

– Hiroki Kuroda RHP

– Wade Miley LHP

– Brandon McCarthy RHP

– Shane Greene RHP

-Chris Capuano LHP

David Phelps was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday and must be replaced in the next couple days. Even without the versatile Phelps in the rotation, Miley would make the rotation a whole lot better and the long term implications of this deal could show up as soon as this coming September.

2015 and Beyond Rotation with Miley (Without any possible Free Agent signings)

-Masahiro Tanaka RHP

-Wade Miley LHP

-Ivan Nova RHP

-Michael Pineda RHP

-Shane Greene RHP

That’s a pretty formidable rotation filled with young talent and players locked up for the long term. Miley would add a whole lot to the rotation going forward, and he would really be a nice piece in the Bronx as they continue to compete every year for a World Series championship. Brian Cashman will probably put all this into consideration but there are two people on his roster that could give him valuable info on this possible target. Those two being former Diamondbacks and recent New York imports, Brandon McCarthy and Martin Prado, who both spent a year and a half in Arizona before coming over to the Bronx.

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Pitching in the same rotation as the lefty, McCarthy’s input would be very valuable. Members of the press have hailed McCarthy for his intellectual approach to pitching and Cashman could utilize his knowledge to see if Miley would be a fit for pinstripes. As for Prado, the utility man is known for being a great clubhouse guy and, despite what sabermetric people would tell you, chemistry is very important to the success of a team and Miley would have to fit in with the vibe the Yankees have going. Prado’s advice on that part would be key and having both former D-Backs on the team would certainly help smooth the transition into a new clubhouse that is always a little awkward.

There is an opportunity here for the Yankees. They could put in a claim and try to convince the Diamondbacks to part with their pitcher in exchange for a package of players. It’d be a huge pickup for the team and they’d be putting a down payment on the future of the team. Will it happen? Who knows? But up there in that war room at Yankee Stadium Brian Cashman and his compatriots his name is certainly written in on a whiteboard as they discuss the work ahead of them.

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