MLB News: Andrew Miller Signs Four-Year Deal With Yankees
With the likes of Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields still available, a marquee reliever has been taken off the market.
As first reported by Jack Curry of the YES Network, Miller signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the New York Yankees:
Andrew Miller has agreed to a 4-year, $36 million deal with the Yankees, according to source involved in negotiations.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) December 5, 2014
The contract makes Miller the highest-paid setup man in history as it surpasses the three-year, $35 million deal Rafael Soriano signed with the Yankees in 2010. Despite a previous report that linked the Dodgers to Miller, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, they were unwilling to sign the reliever to a four-year contract:
#Dodgers were not on Andrew Miller – didn’t want to go four years on a reliever. Also had interest in Zach Duke, but balked at three years.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2014
As for Zach Duke, Rosnethal said the Dodgers didn’t want to sign him to the deal he received from the Chicago White Sox:
To clarify on #Dodgers, they balked at Duke at three years, $15M – the deal he got from the #WhiteSox.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2014
During his introductory press conference, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged addressing the bullpen can be a difficult task given the unpredictability that tends to come with relievers.
It’s something the Dodgers have experienced firsthand with Brandon League and Brian Wilson. With Miller out of the equation, the Dodgers’ setup man role remains a fluid situation. Wilson conceivably could take hold of it if he’s able to replicate his 2013 performance, though the likeliness of that occurring is certainly far from given.
Joel Peralta may be given a look, but he’ll turn 39 in March. Alexi Ogando, who was non-tendered by the Texas Rangers, is a free agent option, so too is Pat Neshek. With the trade rumors involving Matt Kemp, it’s also conceivable the Dodgers will acquire a reliever in exchange for the right fielder or perhaps in a trade that involves Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier.
Good for him and good for the Dodgers on not giving another reliever a ridiculous contract