Wade Miley is more than just a warm body.
The Boston Red Sox reportedly acquired Miley from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday in exchange for Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and a minor leaguer. The trade comes with risk given the untapped potential of both De La Rosa and Webster, but Miley is a known major league commodity with upside, which is a welcome addition to a Red Sox rotation currently in flux.
On the surface, the Miley trade seems relatively uninspiring, especially in the wake of Boston losing out to the Chicago Cubs in the Jon Lester sweepstakes. It’s important to note, however, that a report of the Red Sox’s interest in Miley surfaced even before Lester reportedly agreed to a six-year, $155 million contract with the Cubs. The moves in no way, shape or form are associated.
It’s also somewhat surprising that the Red Sox were willing to part ways with De La Rosa and Webster, both of whom were acquired in the August 2012 blockbuster with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Each pitcher showed promise, albeit inconsistently, over the last two seasons, and it was reasonable to think they’d be among the internal candidates vying for the No. 5 spot in Boston’s rotation come spring training.
But upon removing the Red Sox-tinted glasses, it’s easy to see why Boston was willing to package De La Rosa and Webster in exchange for a pitcher who projects as a middle- to back-of-the-rotation starter. The Red Sox have a whole bunch of pitching prospects in the same echelon, and there’s no guarantee De La Rosa and/or Webster will stick in a starting role moving forward. The Red Sox saw the Miley trade as an opportunity to alleviate a logjam while also adding a player who can step in and potentially make very meaningful contributions in 2015.
No one is going to mistake Miley for Lester, Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto or any other ace whose name has been kicked around in offseason chatter. But Miley is an intriguing asset given his track record, his upside and his palatable contract. There’s great value in adding him to Boston’s rotational mix, even if he’s not necessarily a franchise-altering addition.
Miley went 8-12 with a 4.34 ERA in 33 starts spanning 201 1/3 innings this season. He struck out a career-high 183 hitters and walked 75. The final stat line might not look sexy, but one must keep in mind that the 28-year-old pitched in an environment notoriously tough on pitchers. He went 5-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 17 starts away from Chase Field versus 3-7 with a 5.61 ERA in 16 starts at home.
Most importantly, Miley is an innings-eater, having topped 194 frames each of the last three seasons. The writing was on the wall for the Red Sox to add a pitcher with such durability, especially one who’s left-handed.
“We always go through an exercise in budgeting or coming up with a budget number of innings that need to be accounted for,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters Wednesday at the Major League Baseball winter meetings in San Diego hours before Boston landed Miley. “You take into account what individual pitchers have done in previous years and what you project them to be able to provide upcoming. We knew going in that there were going to be a couple of spots needed for innings eating and very quality innings pitched. Ideally, if you can get a couple of 200-inning pitchers, they don’t go on trees, but that’s the goal.”
Miley, a former first-round pick, was named a National League All-Star during his 2012 rookie campaign in which he went 16-11 with a 3.33 ERA in 32 games (29 starts). If he can replicate that type of production in Boston, the Red Sox will have obtained an important piece in exchange for two pitchers whose long-term futures are unclear and a minor leaguer who’s years away from the majors.
The best part for the Red Sox? Miley, who is arbitration eligible this offseason, is under team control through the 2017 season, meaning this move is far more than just a rental.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports Images
