ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It was 8:25 a.m., and Andrew Miller still was asleep when his phone started buzzing. When he saw the name of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Miller knew what to expect.
Cashman informed one of the best back-end relief pitchers in the game that he had been traded to Cleveland for four minor leaguers, including two former first-round picks. Coming five days after the trade of closer Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, the move signaled a long-rumored Yankees selloff.
“I expected that, leading up to the deadline, the chatter was going to pick up,” Miller said. “I was pretty surprised this morning to get the phone call but that might have been the fact I was sleeping still. I’m not entirely shocked. People have been talking about it since spring training. It’s the reality of the game. I had no control over it, so, just go with the flow.”
The Chapman move had been a foregone conclusion because he was an impending free agent, but Miller’s situation was more uncertain because the Yankees had him locked up on friendly terms through the 2018 season. At the same time, his value was at least as high as Chapman’s.
What made it sting a little more was that Miller took less to sign with the Yankees because that’s where he wanted to be. “I loved my time here,” Miller said. “I enjoyed playing in New York, I liked living in New York, I liked the guys here. I’m going to miss that. It’s a first-class organization, and it’s where I signed up to play. But for me now, I get a chance to go to a team that’s in the thick of it and has big plans for this year.
“It’s certainly a time I will look back on fondly. I wish we would have accomplished a little more. We got to the playoffs last year, but it was still a pleasure playing for the Yankees and a good experience.”
Manager Joe Girardi said it was tough to see Miller go not only because of his ability but because of his willingness to fill any role and his positive influence in the clubhouse, especially among the pitchers. Dellin Betances inherits the closer’s role, and Miller and Girardi both expressed confidence in him.
But Girardi’s job just got tougher following the teardown of the back end of his bullpen. Asked if this move means the Yankees, indeed, have waved the white flag surrendering the season, Girardi bristled a bit.
“I don’t ever wave a white flag,” Girardi said. “This organization never waves a white flag. Obviously, we made some trades that people could view like that. I don’t view it as that, and they better not view it in that room as that. Go out and compete, and let’s see where we fall.”
..... - Newsday