Astros do not Tender Miller

[rocketlaunch]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2956553

Dec. 20, 2004, 8:25PM



Astros decide not to offer Miller contract
Rigthander who missed majority of 2004 season with injury becomes free agent
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle


Afraid they might have to pay Wade Miller more than $3.4 million in arbitration, the Astros decided against tendering him a contract tonight, making the righthander a free agent.

The Astros have until 11 p.m. tonight to tender a contract to their arbitration-eligible players, and they have decided to tender contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players except Miller, who did not pitch after June 25 because of a frayed right rotator cuff.

The Astros tendered contracts to Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt Pete Munro, Tim Redding, Brandon Duckworth and Mike Lamb, keeping their rights. Miller will come off the 40-man roster and become a free agent.

"There's a chance somebody could come out of it with a very productive pitcher and probably an equal chance that somebody could come out of it with an injured pitcher," Astros general manager Tim Purpura said.

Miller, 28, went 7-7 with a 3.35 ERA over 88 2/3 innings in 15 starts in 2004. He was placed on the disabled list on June 29 and missed the remainder of the season.

Miller first reached the majors in 1999 with the Astors. He has a career record of 58-39 with a 3.87 ERA, including seasons of at least 14 wins from 2001-03.

The Astros also tendered contracts to all other unsigned members of the club's 40-man roster who are not eligible for salary arbitration for the 2005 season.

Berkman, 28, hit .316 with 30 home runs and 106 RBI in 2004. A three-time All-Star, Berkman has hit .303 (814-for-2,683) with 156 home runs and 535 RBIs in 775 career games for the Astros from 1999-2004. Lamb, 29, hit .288 with a career-high 14 home runs and 58 RBI in 2004. Lamb started games at four different positions for the Astros and was acquired from the Yankees on March 25.

Duckworth, 28, was acquired from Philadelphia in November of 2003. He finished 2004 with a 1-2 record and a 6.86 ERA. Oswalt, 27, recorded his first 20-win season and led the NL in wins in 2004. He finished 20-10 with a 3.49 ERA, allowing 92 earned runs over 237 innings in 36 games (35 starts). Redding, 26, finished 5-7 with a 5.72 ERA in 27 games (17 starts).

[RocketFan007]

Redding and Duckworth?

[codell]

Miller's shoulder injury must have been alot more serious than any of us knew or, is not progressing like the Astros had hoped/thought.

If not, then 3.4 MIL should have been worth the risk of him returning to form IMO>

[RocketFan007]

Can we still resign Miller at a cheaper price?

[bigboymumu]

Great winter!

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally posted by RocketFan007
Can we still resign Miller at a cheaper price?

I dont think they can resign him till April or May. I not sure exacltly but when they dont tender a player the earliest they can resign him is after the season starts. So basicly he is gone and the Astros cant resign him.

[RocketFan007]

This team is looking at being under .500 next year if he don't resign Beltran and Clemens.

[Another Brother]

Originally posted by RocketFan007
This team is looking at being under .500 next year if he don't resign Beltran and Clemens.

Where then will we spend the money that we will save by not signing them? We could still build something special, I know the free agent market is getting smaller but we could make trades based on the money that we have available.

[G.O.A.T.]

I think they passed on Miller so they could have more money for Beltran. If that is the case it is not a bad deal, considering Miller could be damaged good.

[NIKEstrad]

So we go into next year with the Roy O and Pettitte combo at the top. And 3 question marks. I like Backe, but would prefer to have another option in front of him.

This is quite an offseason for Purpura to take the reins.

[Stack24]

Originally posted by G.O.A.T.
I think they passed on Miller so they could have more money for Beltran. If that is the case it is not a bad deal, considering Miller could be damaged good.

Everything i read and talked to people in the Astros organization, they all stated that it was mainly because of the shoulder injury he has. He hasn't got his rotator cuff surgically repared and just wanted to reahab it which didn't really fix the problem at all.

He hasn't scheduled to get it fixed with surgery so there is a big risk to sign him and injure it further leaving him unable to pitch again for the season.

[xiki]

Good bye to a fine pitcher. Go to Boston and beat the Yanks, young man. Go AL (you're too good to face 'stros).

[lalala902102001]

I have to think that Miller's injury is quite serious. Otherwise I can't understand this decision. You don't just let a good young pitcher walk out. This guy's best years are still ahead of him.

[wrath_of_khan]

So does this mean we might get nothing for him?

If so, the Stros really dropped the ball on this one.

(Unless, of course, the other GMs knew he was damaged goods and wouldn't trade for him.)

[RocketManJosh]

How many players is it going to take for us to lose before Carlos Beltran decides that Houston is not going to be a competitive team?

[BigM]

obviously the astros know more about his shoulder then anyone here but i hope that's the ONLY reason they didn't give him an offer. if he goes to another team next year and pitched like he can when healthy i'll be pissed.

[SamCassell]

Young guy, sub-4 era, winning record, A+ arm, good size. This will come back to haunt the Stros almost as much as letting Hunsicker go. They've really screwed the pooch with this move.

[kaleidosky]

Originally posted by SamCassell
Young guy, sub-4 era, winning record, A+ arm, good size. This will come back to haunt the Stros almost as much as letting Hunsicker go. They've really screwed the pooch with this move.


cause you know exactly what was up with his shoulder, right?

These guys are running a team. This is real money. They can't just throw it around, especially when making other big decisions like Beltran. Giving lower contracts to guys like Duckworth is fine, but obviously Miller wouldn't take one because he knew his arbitration figure would be higher.

[mulletman]

sad to see him go. i wish he was a 100% healthy cause i enjoyed watching him pitch and a 100% wade miller would give the astros a good rotation, even without clemens.

[MadMax]

it's not done yet, guys. just because he wasn't tendered an offer doesn't mean he won't be back...for better or for worse.

[SamCassell]

Originally posted by kaleidosky
cause you know exactly what was up with his shoulder, right?
Hey, lighten up. We're all entitled to opinions, even though we don't personally run the team. That said, I'll take 2 doctors opinions over yours:

The Astros can still try to negotiate a contract with Miller, who has received clean bills of health this month from arm surgeon Dr. Lewis Yokum and Astros team physician Dr. David Lintner
From today's chronicle.

[kaleidosky]

Originally posted by SamCassell
Hey, lighten up. We're all entitled to opinions, even though we don't personally run the team. That said, I'll take 2 doctors opinions over yours:


From today's chronicle.


Yeah true. But you weigh that against Purpura's statement that there's a 50/50 shot that whoever signs him will get an injured pitcher.. so realize that it's not cut-and-dry kaleidosky vs. docs ;)


However, I think most of us would be fine with RoyO, Clemens, Pettite, Backe, and ____ for a rotation. If Rocket doesn't sign, I think between his $$ and Wade's $$ saved, we have the money to sign or trade for a #3 starter with less risk than Wade. Or, if he proves his ability...re-sign him.

[Nick]

Carlos Hernandez recieved a "clean bill of health" two years ago, when he came off the 'partially torn rotator cuff--sliding head-first' injury in 2001.

He pitched quite a lot in 2002, but everybody knew that something wasn't just right. Eventually, he had the surgery... and 3 years later, we still don't know what we're getting.

I wish all the best of luck to Wade.... he's a horse, he's competitive, and he's brough a lot of success to this team. If we are somehow able to keep him, I hope he peforms lights out, cause then he'll be getting a really nice long term contract when he's done, and he won't have to be playing from year to year like he is now.

[Phillyrocket]

Sporting News reports Miller's name had surfaced in talks for the Red Sox Dave Roberts.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3265720

Wish we could have gotten something for him.

[NJRocket]

Its the right move not tendering him. With Roy O's groin history and Pettitte's elbow, we have enough anatomy to worry about.

[SamCassell]

Originally posted by kaleidosky
Yeah true. But you weigh that against Purpura's statement that there's a 50/50 shot that whoever signs him will get an injured pitcher.. so realize that it's not cut-and-dry kaleidosky vs. docs

Purpura's also a rookie GM who's yet to sign a bigger free agent than Orlando Palmeiro. I'd still take a doctor's word over a lay person's. And to address someone else's comment - Wade Miller was a heck of a lot more established as a pitcher than Carlos Hernandez when he was injured. Miller's a legit #2 guy when healthy, Hernandez was and is a might-have-been and a never-was.

However, I think most of us would be fine with RoyO, Clemens, Pettite, Backe, and ____ for a rotation. If Rocket doesn't sign, I think between his $$ and Wade's $$ saved, we have the money to sign or trade for a #3 starter with less risk than Wade. Or, if he proves his ability...re-sign him.

Check out the contracts signed this offseason. Miller's much better, career-wise, and stuff-wise, than every free agent starter who's signed other than Pedro (who has his own health issues). Lieber, Clement, Pavano, Wright, all those guys got huge deals starting around 7 mil per season. And guess what - that market's mostly played out, and Oakland is probably done trading away its elite pitching for top prospects (which the Stros don't have to deal anyway). If Clemens chooses not to re-up, the rotation will be

Oswalt
Pettite
Backe
?
?

or roughly what we had last season going into the playoffs. Assuming that Pettite's 100%. The only quality pitching left are Millwood and Milton from the Phillies, and I don't think they'll hang around all summer waiting to find out of Clemens is coming back to us. In hindsight, if we weren't going to sign Miller, I really wish we'd used his salary space on a Woody Williams, who signed for 3.5 with the Padres and is from Houston.

[Stack24]

Originally posted by RocketManJosh
How many players is it going to take for us to lose before Carlos Beltran decides that Houston is not going to be a competitive team?

We didn't have him last year when we made our run so losing miller is not going to be a back breaker in the deal for Beltran.

[white lightning]

Hernandez's injury also involved a torn labrum which is much more serious and often career ending for a pitcher. Even if the rotator cuff needs surgery, for a guy like Miller, I think it's worth keeping him around. I hope that we can re-sign him anyway.

[juicystream]

Originally posted by Stack24
We didn't have him last year when we made our run so losing miller is not going to be a back breaker in the deal for Beltran.

Yeah but if Clemens doesn't come back we still have three strong starters in Petite, Oswalt, and Miller with Backe as a possible 4th, assuming the playoffs were no fluke.

[RIET]

Calculated gamble but this is a mistake.

[DieHard Rocket]

Miller had basically one good season, and hasn't been quite as good as we thought he'd be coming off of that season. He's an average pitcher...#3 guy at best. Astros are smart for not throwing money at him, especially when he's got shoulder problems.

[Stack24]

Originally posted by RIET
Calculated gamble but this is a mistake.

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. For the money we would have to pay him to keep him here he would not be worth it.

His last two years have been mediocre at 14-13 and 7-7 but he did have the injury last year and was out for the whole year basically.

The guy has tremendous talent but to pay him a lot of money and not be sure if is going to even pitch well is a big risk to take.

He doesn't want to have surgery on the frayed rotator cuff so if he expects time to heal it then we have no real timetable for him. Also if he suffers the injury again or aggrivates it then he will finally be forced to have surgery and he will be out the season again.

What good is that to our ballclub? I don't understand why he didn't elect to have surgery on it last year to get it out of the way.

[Nick]

Since he's arbitration eligible, if we tendered him a contract, it would have to be at least 20% more than what he made last year... which is $3.4 million.

That's a lot of money for a pitcher who may or may not need surgery eventually, no matter what kind of market your team is in.

[juicystream]

Originally posted by Nick
Since he's arbitration eligible, if we tendered him a contract, it would have to be at least 20% more than what he made last year... which is $3.4 million.

That's a lot of money for a pitcher who may or may not need surgery eventually, no matter what kind of market your team is in.

Have you seen the kind of money GMs have thrown out to pitchers this offseason? Players like Benson are getting over 7 million a year even with a career losing record and an ERA over 4. We still chose to tender Berkman and we haven't traded Petite and their coming off major injuries too. We could have saved money by not tendering Duckworth, Munro, and the other pitcher who we know are bad pitchers and not major league starting caliber players no matter how healthy they are. Duckworth had an ERA near 7 last season which isn't worthy of a roster spot.

[shawn786]

Originally posted by Nick
Since he's arbitration eligible, if we tendered him a contract, it would have to be at least 20% more than what he made last year... which is $3.4 million.

That's a lot of money for a pitcher who may or may not need surgery eventually, no matter what kind of market your team is in.

I agree, this was a gamble the 'Stros wern't willing 2 take. Lets just hope we can sign Beltran and keep the Rocket or were gona find our selves in a sticky situation!

[Buck Turgidson]

Lost in all the doom & gloom over an injured #4 starter is the fact that the 'Stros can re-sign Miller tomorrow if they want. Oh, and Miller wants to come back to Houston.

Damn you, fiscal responsibility.

The May 1 signing date is for non-tendered free agents, not players who were still under club control.

But don't let these pesky facts get in the way of a good rant.

THEY'RE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!

[juicystream]

He could still always comeback. Maybe we bring him back by giving him an incentive filled contract that would protect us financially if he doesn't come back full strength. I just don't want us to end up losing a quality pitcher for nothing unless we know he is not going to come back healthy.

[Stack24]

Originally posted by juicystream
Have you seen the kind of money GMs have thrown out to pitchers this offseason? Players like Benson are getting over 7 million a year even with a career losing record and an ERA over 4. We still chose to tender Berkman and we haven't traded Petite and their coming off major injuries too. We could have saved money by not tendering Duckworth, Munro, and the other pitcher who we know are bad pitchers and not major league starting caliber players no matter how healthy they are. Duckworth had an ERA near 7 last season which isn't worthy of a roster spot.

The one difference between Pettite and Berkman is that they both took care of their injuries and got it surgically repaired.

Pettitte is under contract so that doesn't even match with the deal with Miller.

Berkman is someone that doesn't really need speed or anything and is a great hitter and there is no way they would not tender him arbitration.

Miller wanted to just rehab his frayed rotator cuff instead of fixing it . There is a lot more risk involved in keeping him as a pitcher.

[Fegwu]

He could end up a Card. :(


If he ends a Card and Beltran a Cub I don't what I will do. It could get ugly.

[juicystream]

Originally posted by Stack24
The one difference between Pettite and Berkman is that they both took care of their injuries and got it surgically repaired.

Pettitte is under contract so that doesn't even match with the deal with Miller.

Berkman is someone that doesn't really need speed or anything and is a great hitter and there is no way they would not tender him arbitration.

Miller wanted to just rehab his frayed rotator cuff instead of fixing it . There is a lot more risk involved in keeping him as a pitcher.

I don't think it is a mistake to keep those players and I know where you and a couple of others are coming from about Miller, but I would still like to see him back in Houston. I would love it if it works out that he still gets signed just not for all that guaranteed money. I'm scared that the organization is ready to throw the farm away all for the chance to sign one player.

[MadMax]

Originally posted by Fegwu

If he ends a Card and Beltran a Cub I don't what I will do. It could get ugly.

i know what i'd do. i'd root for the astros and against beltran and miller! :)

[Stack24]

Originally posted by juicystream
I don't think it is a mistake to keep those players and I know where you and a couple of others are coming from about Miller, but I would still like to see him back in Houston. I would love it if it works out that he still gets signed just not for all that guaranteed money. I'm scared that the organization is ready to throw the farm away all for the chance to sign one player.

Our farm system is still great we have a few guys that could be called up this year. The pitcher we got last year in the trade is supposed to be a great prospect that actually could be called up this year.

Astros have always been able to bring players up from the farm system and have them perform just like Miller, Oswalt, Hernandez, etc.

We should be okay with losing miller and it didn't have to much to do with Beltran in this case. It was more about his health issues.

[SamCassell]

Man, I hate to sound like the voice of doom and gloom, because I think the Stros are going to be good next year even without all the guys they're losing...

but the farm system is not "great", from any objective standpoint it's rated as one of the worst in the league by the people who rate minor leaguers. Buckholtz is the guy you're talking about, and he was out of his league at AAA last season (5+ ERA) and needs another year to progress. Eventually, he should be a good #3 starter, but he's not in the 2005 plans. And he's the Astros best prospect.

Chris Burke should contribute this season, but there are no other prosects in the minors that are major-league ready.

[Stack24]

Originally posted by SamCassell
Man, I hate to sound like the voice of doom and gloom, because I think the Stros are going to be good next year even without all the guys they're losing...

but the farm system is not "great", from any objective standpoint it's rated as one of the worst in the league by the people who rate minor leaguers. Buckholtz is the guy you're talking about, and he was out of his league at AAA last season (5+ ERA) and needs another year to progress. Eventually, he should be a good #3 starter, but he's not in the 2005 plans. And he's the Astros best prospect.

Chris Burke should contribute this season, but there are no other prosects in the minors that are major-league ready.

Actually i was talking about the Astacio kid they got last year. That's who they were talking about in the interview on 610 this morning.

[Nick]

Astacio is the real deal, and he's jumped over Taylor as the organization's number 1 pitching prospect. Taylor showed flashes last year of his vast potential... and he's still very young, so he's got time to turn it around.

Also, we've got Troy Patton on the preverbial fast track thru the system.... he was our draft pick last year who slipped to the late rounds because of his signing price (but Drayton stepped up).

As for Miller... how can anybody here who's watched him not remember how INCONSISTENT he's been throughout his career. There is only one reason for this.... his AWFUL MECHANICS... which any scouting report always said that it could pre-dispose him to future injury.

Well, it looks like "future injury" actually happened last year.... and its his shoulder, the most important part of pitching. This is not something that rest is going to fix... he needs to either change his throwing motion (which could take away all his speed and movement), or he needs to eventually get surgery and face a long rehab... and then all bets are off whether or not he'll ever regain his stuff.

Any way you look at it, its a bad situation for his career. His stats are amazing... but if they are the product of injury-causing bad mechanics, then its fools gold.

[MadMax]

miller was lights out against the brewers! :cool:

[SamCassell]

Don't you hire pitching coaches to teach better mechanics? It seems to me that someone screwed up somewhere along the line if his minor-league and major-league pitching coaches didn't work with Wade to correct his delivery.

[kaleidosky]

Originally posted by SamCassell
Purpura's also a rookie GM who's yet to sign a bigger free agent than Orlando Palmeiro. I'd still take a doctor's word over a lay person's. And to address someone else's comment - Wade Miller was a heck of a lot more established as a pitcher than Carlos Hernandez when he was injured. Miller's a legit #2 guy when healthy, Hernandez was and is a might-have-been and a never-was.

He hasn't signed a bigger FA because of our situation. We're waiting on Beltran and Rocket. And I have no problems with that.

Check out the contracts signed this offseason. Miller's much better, career-wise, and stuff-wise, than every free agent starter who's signed other than Pedro (who has his own health issues). Lieber, Clement, Pavano, Wright, all those guys got huge deals starting around 7 mil per season. And guess what - that market's mostly played out, and Oakland is probably done trading away its elite pitching for top prospects (which the Stros don't have to deal anyway). If Clemens chooses not to re-up, the rotation will be

Yeah you're right, they got huge deals. But I don't believe Miller is "much better" than all those guys. Based purely on "stuff", I think Clement is above, and Pavano is right there with him.

Then you have to remember, things have to be based SOMewhat on the last year of pitching. Miller last year wasn't that great, and with his injury in question, you can' assume perfect recovery to 2 years ago. Clement was very good last year (forget the record, lack of run support), Pavano was very good, Wright was solid. Lieber is in the same boat as Miller (better year behind last year), but got to show himself a little bit at the end there and isn't as much of a question mark in terms of the injury.

I don't think we're getting Milwood (please no) or Milton (I like, but I doubt it). But we're looking for a #3 starter, not a potential 1. Your'e right, Woody would have been nice. I think one can be had in a trade if not FA.

Also, read Nick's post on Miller's mechanics relating to the injury, etc.

[Nick]

Originally posted by SamCassell
Don't you hire pitching coaches to teach better mechanics? It seems to me that someone screwed up somewhere along the line if his minor-league and major-league pitching coaches didn't work with Wade to correct his delivery.

You're right... somebody did screw up along the way with him. But a lot of times, pitchers and batters (bagwell) sometimes have success with the unorthodox.

Wade did, but now he could be paying for it. Its always a risk for ANY PITCHER to go out there and try and throw a baseball 90+ mph, for close to 100 times (or more) a game. It puts an awful strain on the shoulder... and the human shoulder/arm was never meant to throw overhand... that's why throwing underhand is a much more effortless motion.

Also, changing his mechancis could also lead to a sharp decrease in his velocity, his movement, and his confidence... basically he could be a pitcher with good mechancis, but be not as good because it was that crazy arm motion that might have made him so successful in the first place.

He never had any arm problems in the minors, and after the pinched nerve in 2002 seemed to be behind him, many people thought he may just be a lucky guy... his motion wasn't causing him arm problems, and thus nobody was trying to "change" him.

Then he was inconsistent all of 2003... and then 2004 he got hurt. What can you do with a guy, when his previous two years are showing a sharp decline in both performance and health... you can't take that gamble right now in giving him a guaranteed contract over $4million.

There's a good chance that he'll simply resign with us... or even have surgery if all does not go so well when he STARTS throwing in January.

[SamCassell]

Originally posted by kaleidosky
Yeah you're right, they got huge deals. But I don't believe Miller is "much better" than all those guys. Based purely on "stuff", I think Clement is above, and Pavano is right there with him.

Then you have to remember, things have to be based SOMewhat on the last year of pitching. Miller last year wasn't that great,

Miller posted a low 3s ERA last season. He was really very good in his 15 starts, he just suffered from a lack of run support.

I question the move to release Miller, even though I think they've misread the market for starting pitching, but I could live with it if I thought the Stros had backup plans in the case that they can't get Clemens or Beltran to sign. I don't see Clemens back here if the Stros fail to sign Beltran or a significant replacement, and so it comes down to the negotiations with Scott Boras. I think Boras has masterfully painted Purpura into a corner where he has no choice but to ante up the asked-for contract.

[Nick]

Originally posted by SamCassell
Miller posted a low 3s ERA last season. He was really very good in his 15 starts, he just suffered from a lack of run support.

Actually, I don't think you can just look at his era last year... he was very very erratic, constantly putting guys on base, and somehow getting out of those jams... one can make a case that he was actually lucky to have an ERA that low.

Both his WHIP and his K/9 innings have steadily declined the last three years.... he actually walked 44 batters in less than half a year last year, while his career high was 77 the year before (in more than twice as many innings).

Also, last year he did probably the worst job of pitching "efficiently", and that's why he often never pitched into the 7th inning.

If you did watch him last year, you can't look just at the stats... he would consistently struggle to find the zone, but I do give him credit for getting guys out when he had to (but I wouldn't reccomend anybody making a habit of this).

If you didn't watch him last year... take my word for it... his ERA should have probably been higher (even more than the 4.13 he had in 2002).

The most telling sign... watch Wade Miller of 2001, and then watch the 2003 and 04 versions... its not even close. He's just a different pitcher. (no longer throwing 95-96 with hard movement... it was 91-92 and all over the place).

[Manny Ramirez]

If I am Theo Epstein, I take a chance on signing Wade Miller.

[codell]

Nick brings up a good point.

When I saw Miller's 2004 stats in the paper this morning, I was quite suprised, because watching him, he seemed very mediocre, and sometimes, quite below average.

[NIKEstrad]

Originally posted by Manny Ramirez
If I am Theo Epstein, I take a chance on signing Wade Miller.

I doubt it. At a glance, The Sox could probably use another pitcher, but it would seem to go against Epstein's philosophy to do what the Yanks did with Jon Leiber. Miller may or may not be damaged goods. Epstein is one heck of a GM, he can do better than paying 4+ mill for a guy who may not pitch this year.

I agree whole-heartedly with Nick. Despite the sparkling ERA, Miller at times looked downright out of sync, probably in large part because he was pitching hurt.

I think the Stros are probably glad that no one will get to see Whitey throw a baseball till January. Purpura could not blindly commit the money to a pitcher who's 50/50 to pitch, especially with Carlos and Rocket still looming. We'll know the Beltran deal within a couple weeks (Jan. 8), and I'm guessing Clemens soon after.

[Manny Ramirez]

Originally posted by NIKEstrad
I doubt it. At a glance, The Sox could probably use another pitcher, but it would seem to go against Epstein's philosophy to do what the Yanks did with Jon Leiber. Miller may or may not be damaged goods. Epstein is one heck of a GM, he can do better than paying 4+ mill for a guy who may not pitch this year.



Well the problem is that Schilling is out until at least May maybe longer which leaves the Boston rotation to look like this:

1) Wells
2) Clement
3) Arroyo
4) Wakefield
5) Halama or *shudder* Byunger Kim

Not a pretty sight especially slots 4 and 5. Now of course it is a moot point if Wade needs surgery and isn't physically able to pitch, but if he is able to pitch, he is just as good as the Red Sox's #4 and #5 guys.

Plus NIKE, Theo Epstein was VERY interested in Jon Lieber - granted his interest was only after Lieber showed that he was able to bounce back from Tommy John surgery (plus he pitched really well against the Sox in the ALCS), but he may have interest in Miller because of Lieber's success thinking it could happen again.

It probably won't happen but it is being kicked around on the Boston Globe website.

[plee]

Originally posted by Manny Ramirez
If I am Theo Epstein, I take a chance on signing Wade Miller.

Happen to catch Purpura's interview on 790 "The Sports Animal" (where Charlie P. went to) and he said it was just the Medical risk with Miller. You don't know if he'll blow out in game one or last the whole season. I guess if you have a incentive type clauses it might worth a flyer but definitely nothing guaranteed.

[Blatz]

790 just said Miller signed with Boston

[NIKEstrad]

I was off on this one. Good call, Manny.

On the plus side, this might put more pressure for Steinbrenner to get a pitcher rather than Beltran.

[juicystream]

Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Miller to Boston

By Jerry Crasnick
ESPN Insider
The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with former Houston Astros pitcher Wade Miller.

Wade Miller
Starting Pitcher
Houston Astros
Profile


2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM W L Sv K ERA
15 7 7 0 74 3.35



Miller, who was 7-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 starts before going on the disabled list June 29 with a season-ending rotator cuff injury, passed a physical exam Wednesday in Boston and agreed to a contract with a $1.5 million base salary and $3 million in incentives. Agent Bob Garber said the deal will be finalized on Thursday.

Los Angeles, Arizona, Oakland, Texas, Florida, Detroit, Kansas City and the New York Mets were among the other clubs that expressed an interest in Miller, who has a 58-39 record in five big-league seasons.

Miller, who made $3.4 million last season, became a free agent when the Astros decided not to offer him a contract by the Dec. 20 tender deadline.

"The Red Sox were right on it from the beginning," Garber said. "They flew him to town and made him feel welcome. That's what Theo Epstein does. He makes players feel wanted, and they want to come here."

Garber said that he expects Miller to be ready to pitch by Opening Day. If that's the case, Miller will join Curt Schilling and new free-agent signees David Wells and Matt Clement at the top of a revamped Boston rotation.

Article (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1951927)

[Manny Ramirez]

Originally posted by NIKEstrad
I was off on this one. Good call, Manny.

On the plus side, this might put more pressure for Steinbrenner to get a pitcher rather than Beltran.

Well in fairness, I do read the Boston Globe several times a day and they called this as soon as he became available.

But it makes sense if you think about it:

Boston loses 2 starters in their rotation from 2004 in Pedro and DLowe. They do pick up 2 FAs in Wells and Clement, but one of their starters (Schilling) is likely to miss the 1st month of the season due to injury and then you also have a very inconsistent starter in Wakefield.

John Halama could have been used (and may still have to fill the #5 role) but he is a middle reliever and guys that are normally good enough to start don't become middle relievers in the first place as the quality of starting pitchers in the majors, especially those on the back end of the rotation, is very thin.