Another relief pitcher appears to be coming off the board.
Free-agent Andrew Miller and the St. Louis Cardinals are nearing an agreement on a multi-year deal, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan, citing sources. The 33-year-old lefty reportedly had been offered multiple two-year deals but was searching for a three-year term.
Andrew Miller had a number of two-year offers in hand, according to teams pursuing him. He was seeking a third year, though the Cardinals could also have bumped up the AAV on the deal as a separator. Terms aren’t clear, but Miller to Cardinals is as good as done.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2018
The Andrew Miller contract is 2 years with a vesting option- meaning if Miller meets certain incentives a 3rd year would kick in. @ksdknews @Cardinals
— Frank Cusumano (@Frank_Cusumano) December 21, 2018
Despite recent struggles with injury, Miller has been one of the more dominant bullpen arms in baseball over recent years, helping the Cleveland Indians win the American League pennant in 2016 while posting a 1.72 ERA with averages of 14.5 strikeouts and 2.3 walks per nine innings. In 22 playoff games, Miller has a 1.09 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 33 innings pitched. He’s only issued 11 walks to go along with a 0.879 WHIP in the postseason.
Miller battled shoulder and knee injuries last season and finished with a 4.24 ERA over just 34 innings.
When healthy, Miller still is a lethal southpaw out of the pen and will help bolster the Cardinals’ chances at putting together a bounce-back campaign in the National League Central.
