Yankees Trade Andrew Miller to Indians for Four Prospects

The New York Yankees have traded closer Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians for a package of four prospects.

The Yankees shipped out the second member of “No Runs DMC” this morning by trading closer Andrew Miller to Cleveland for outfielder Clint Frazier, lefthanded pitcher Justus Sheffield, and righthanders Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.

Reports surfaced that the Indians and Yankees were discussing multiple trade scenarios Saturday morning, although the talks seemed to be mostly centered around Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran.

Honestly, on first impression, this haul seems a little light for two and a half years of Miller. The package is not notably stronger than the Yankees received for just two months of Aroldis Chapman. 

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Double-A outfielder Clint Frazier is the real prize here. The 21-year-old was ranked the 27th prospect in baseball prior to the season by MLB Pipeline, 44th by Baseball America, and 53rd by Baseball Prospectus. He was hitting .276/.350/.461 in Double-A before a recent promotion to Triple-A Columbus.

The Indians selected Frazier in the first round of the 2013 draft (fifth overall) and he is clearly the crown jewel of their minor league system. Here’s an excerpt from MLB Pipeline’s free scouting report:

Frazier’s bat speed and raw power are among the best in the Minor Leagues and suggest the ceiling of an All-Star. Though he struggled to harness his aggressive approach and recognize spin early in his career, Frazier has developed into a more complete hitter as he’s climbed the Minor League ladder, with strikeout and walk rates that continue to trend in a positive direction.

20-year-old lefty Justus Sheffield is ranked fifth in the Indians system by MLB Pipeline, and even cracked Baseball America’s preseason Top 100 list at number 81. He was taken in the first round of the 2014 draft, 31st overall. The folks at MLB Pipeline see him as a future mid-rotation type. Here’s a breakdown of his stuff:

Sheffield shows the makings of an above-average three-pitch mix. He’s hit 96 mph with his fastball but usually sits in the 92-93 mph range with late, arm-side life and some sink. His curveball flashes plus and projects as a swing-and-miss offering at the highest level, and he made strides developing his changeup in 2015. A good athlete with a clean and repeatable delivery, Sheffield floods the zone with all his pitches but needs to improve the quality of his strikes.

The other two pieces, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen are nothing more than bullpen depth. They are having nice seasons in the upper minors, but they are 24 and 23 respectively, and come with no real prospect pedigree. Nice guys to have, but they don’t move the needle.

Next: Yankees Trade Target: Matt Shoemaker

Frazier and Sheffield are both nice additions to the Yankees system, but it sounded like they were going to hold out for more with Miller. GM Brian Cashman might have missed out on the game’s top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito when the Nationals went with Mark Melancon instead of Miller. Maybe this was the best offer still on the table.