UPDATE (9:55 a.m. ET): It’s official. The New York Yankees have sent reliever Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians in return for four prospects.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Cleveland Indians are one of Major League Baseball’s most aggressive buyers, while the New York Yankees are one of its biggest sellers. Welcome to 2016.
The Yankees continued to move their top assets Sunday, trading relief pitcher Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians, according to multiple reports. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the news. New York reportedly will receive a four-player haul of prospects that includes outfielder Clint Frazier and pitcher Justus Sheffield.
Miller had been one of the league’s most highly coveted relievers ahead of the trade deadline. The 31-year-old left-hander and former Boston Red Sox reliever entered Sunday with a 6-1 record and a 1.39 ERA through 44 appearances and is second among all relief pitchers with 77 strikeouts in just 45 1/3 innings.
Miller’s addition immediately upgrades a Cleveland bullpen that has gotten decent production from current closer Cody Allen but still lacked a dominant shutdown option in the ninth.
The Indians, who entered Sunday with the best record in the American League, appear to be very active on the trade market, as they also reportedly tried to acquire All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees, meanwhile, now have unloaded their two top relievers in Miller and Aroldis Chapman and could make more moves before Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline.
Thumbnail photo via Thomas B. Shea/USA TODAY Sports Images
