Yankees: Will Andrew Miller return to the Bronx in 2019?

The upcoming free agent class is chock full of solid veteran players to be had. But perhaps, left-handed reliever Andrew Miller is the one the Yankees should focus most on.

When the Yankees traded Andrew Miller to the Indians in 2016, they did so out of necessity. General manager Brian Cashman knew he needed to turn high-priced veterans into top-flight prospects that could alter the fortunes of his historic, yet suddenly midling franchise.

As we know, a little over one year later, the Yanks found themselves in Game 7 of the ALCS.

With the process of the rebuild sped up faster than anyone could have possibly imagined, and these current Bombers (23-10) sitting just one game behind the first place Red Sox — it’s never too early to wonder what the future holds for our beloved Yankees.

Back when Miller signed with the Yanks before the 2015 season, the University of North Carolina product asked for a no-trade clause to be added to his four-year, $36 million contract.

However, very rarely does a relief pitcher, no matter how dominant, receive such a provision. So Miller took the $9 million per year deal, which still has him tied as the 11th highest-paid reliever in baseball. 

It can be argued some of the men Miller is equal to in salary are no-where near as effective as he is on the mound (Darren O’Day, Joakim Soria, Tommy Hunter, Brad Ziegler and Brandon Morrow).

Undoubtedly, the haul the Yankees received for Miller was an abundant one; Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. To-date, the Yanks have received a moderate return on their investment, with an eye towards a future payout.

Frazier showed signs of being a legit big league outfielder in 2017; Sheffield was only recently promoted to Triple-A Scranton; Feyereisen can also be found in Scranton working on developing some consistency in his pitches; and sadly, Heller will be lost for the better part of 12-18 months following Tommy John surgery.

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So what if Cashman pulled an Aroldis Chapman with Andrew Miller? You know, the type of trade where Cash get’s a boatload of prospects for his veteran pitcher only to sign that same player in free agency soon after?

Everyone knows Miller never wanted to leave New York, he admitted as much to the press — and it’s the reason he wanted that no-trade clause in the first place.

At the completion of this season, which hopefully ends in a ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Champions, the Yankees will no longer be forced to work under the constraints of the luxury tax threshold, since the penalty resets.

Turing 33 on May 21, Miller’s next contract should be less than his last, although that exact amount remains to be seen. Even if the Yankees’ biggest concern is signing one expensive starting pitcher such as Patrick Corbin or Dallas Keuchel, inking fan-favorite Miller should become feasible.

For those that point to Chasen Shreve’s success over the first month of ’18 as a reason not to bring back Miller, I see no reason why the Yanks couldn’t keep multiple lefties in the bullpen.

The two have far different repertories and track records of success; so Shreve, with his two years remaining of arbitration, would allow for a higher-priced and higher-caliber southpaw to rely upon in the later innings.

As for Justus Sheffield, he should not be in contention for a role out of the bullpen come 2019. Even if he were to be called up sometime this summer and placed in the ‘pen for experience’s sake, the 21-year-old is a starter through and through.

Although Miller’s been on the DL since March 25 with a left hamstring strain, he’s been virtually lights-out in 10 innings this season. A 1-0 record, 0.00 ERA and a 17:4 K:BB ratio points to a pitcher that still has plenty left in the tank.

Next: Justus Sheffield and Jonathan Loaisiga promoted

Would Cleveland allow one of their most integral bullpen arms to leave during the offseason? Only time will tell. However, Newsday recently asked Miller if he’d be receptive to a return to the Big Apple, to which Miller responded:

"Yeah, of course,’’ he said. “I didn’t burn any bridges. I didn’t say anything bad about them because I didn’t have anything bad to say. I loved my time here.’’"