Yankees Still Should Consider Moving Andrew Miller

Even after moving closer Aroldis Chapman, the New York Yankees should still listen on reliever Andrew Miller before the August 1st trade deadline.

Before accepting final offers from other clubs on closer Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees reportedly let rival executives know that they had decided to hold onto fellow elite reliever Andrew Miller.

From a certain perspective, that makes sense. Miller can take over his old role as Yankees closer, and the team still has two quality arms to set him up in Adam Warren and Dellin Betances. That’s not a bad back end of a bullpen.

If you remove Miller, suddenly you are relying on the members of the Scranton Shuttle crew in key situations. None of New York’s slew of rookie relievers have especially distinguished themselves this season, and most have been a complete disaster in limited time.

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On the other hand, if you look at the sheer influx of talent the Chapman deal brought into the organization for two months of a reliever, it’s hard not to wonder what kind of haul the Yankees might be able to get for two years of Andrew Miller in his prime.

One potential buyer that stands out from the crowd is the Cleveland Indians. Not only are they reportedly highly motivated to make a blockbuster trade, but they have to elite chips to move if they decide to go through with it.

The Indians have two Double-A outfielders who each ranked higher in Baseball America’s Midseason Top 100 Prospects list than Gleyber Torres, the centerpiece of the Chapman trade. 21-year-old Clint Frazier ranked 21st on BA’s list, while 23-year-old Bradley Zimmer ranked 26th. Torres squeaked in right behind the pair at 27th overall. 

Frazier was the fifth overall selection in the 2013 draft. He projects as a true five-tool talent, with plus tools across the board. Through 89 games with Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate this year, he’s hitting .276/.356/.469 (130 wRC+) with 13 home runs and 13 steals. His comment on BA’s list was: “Dynamic outfielder continues to improve power production, plate discipline at Double-A.”

Zimmer was also a first round pick, 21st overall in 2014. He’s a little older than Frazier and the tools aren’t quite as loud. However, after a slow start to the year he is outproducing his counterpart at the plate, putting up a .253/.371/.471  (137 wRC+) slash line with 14 homers and 33 stolen bases.

Any conversation for Miller would start with one (or both!) of these guys. Since the Yankees don’t need to deal Miller, they are in a strong bargaining position. With so many teams desperate to improve their rosters before the deadline and separate themselves from the pack this season, someone is likely to meet New York’s asking price.

Although the Cubs are presumably out, the Indians, Nationals, Giants, Rangers, and Dodgers have all been connected to Miller and should still have some degree of interest.

Next: Projecting the 2017 New York Yankees Lineup

The fact is, the Yankees real window of contention is probably at least two years off if they are serious about building from within. The Chapman trade showed GM Brian Cashman will target the best available talent, and is not necessarily prioritizing winning in the near future. If that’s the case, the club might as well go all in and deal Andrew Miller for an insane prospect haul as well.