CLEVELAND — The Indians made one of the biggest splashes of this year’s baseball trade deadline Sunday, acquiring all-star relief pitcher Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees in exchange for a package of four prospects headlined by outfielder Clint Frazier and pitcher Justus Sheffield.
The deal came on the same day that a second agreed-upon trade to acquire Milwaukee Brewers all-star catcher Jonathan Lucroy was vetoed by Lucroy via his no-trade clause.
In Miller, the Indians added one of the best relief pitchers in baseball to bolster the back end of the bullpen, signaling an aggressive move as they lead their division and stand as one of the top contenders in the American League.
The deal came at a steep price, costing the Indians Frazier, one of their top two prospects, Sheffield, their No. 5 prospect per MLB.com’s rankings, and relief pitching prospects Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.
“I’ve said it from the beginning: Any opportunity to win, we don’t take lightly,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “We want to try to do what we can to get to the postseason and win a World Series. I think we’ve tried to be consistent with that and we talk about that all the time. That’s why we do what we do, and we felt that this team has done its part.”
Miller, a left-hander, this season has a 1.39 ERA and 0.772 WHIP to go with 77 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings entering Sunday. Among qualified relievers, his 1.8 WAR is third in baseball, per FanGraphs.
Miller will make $9 million a year through the 2018 season, making him a longer-term investment and aligning him with many other key players on the club who are under club control through that season and beyond. The Indians will assume his entire contract.
It’s still unclear exactly what role Miller will take in the Indians bullpen. Miller moved to a set-up role with the Yankees after they acquired Aroldis Chapman, and Indians closer Cody Allen has said he’d be willing to change roles if needed. Both relievers’ willingness to work the eighth inning affords the Indians some flexibility.
“I was on the road trip with the team and (Allen) came to me and said, ‘Chris, hey, for whatever it’s worth, all I care about is winning. I will do anything to help the team win, so if you feel that there’s some guy out there that can help us and help the bullpen,’ he said, ‘I’ll pitch whenever (Indians manager Terry Francona) wants me to pitch,’?” Antonetti said.
“And (Allen) reinforced that with us today. I can’t tell you how much that means to me and speaks to Cody and his mentality and how much he cares about winning.”
Regardless of role, the Indians now own one of the best 1-2 combinations in the game, along with Bryan Shaw in front of them.
“It’s exciting,” Allen said. “Getting a guy like that can really help us reach our ultimate goal, and that’s playing the last game of the season and winning the last game of the season. A guy like him, as dominant as he is, as good as he’s been his entire career, everything we’ve heard about him, we’re definitely excited to have him.”
With the move the Indians bolstered their claim as, perhaps, the AL’s best team this season. They also sent a message to fans, one that speaks to a willingness to be aggressive when the time is right.
“I would hope the fan base would be thrilled because so many times when I’m walking around downtown or something, or when I’m walking back from the casino after I just got my ass kicked, people will stop and say something to me and inevitably it’s that kind of comment, like, ‘How come we’re not with the big fish?’ ” Francona said.
“There is no bigger. Chris and the guys just went and got the very best guy there was. And if you don’t think other teams wanted him, you’re crazy. They didn’t half-ass it — they went and got the best there is. There’s no better message.”
It appeared as though Miller would be joining Lucroy as all-star additions. The Indians and Brewers reportedly reached an agreement late Saturday night with a four-prospect package. But Lucroy, citing concerns with playing time in 2017, opted to veto the deal with his no-trade clause. Had Lucroy accepted it, the Indians would have traded eight prospects for two all-stars in a matter of hours.
But unless Lucroy changes his mind, the Indians will have to look elsewhere. The trade deadline is 1 p.m. PDT Monday.
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