Wade Miller Joins Red Sox

[VesceySux]

Miller Can Make Up to $4.5 Million

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.

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.

"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.

[MadMax]

good for him.

[SamCassell]

Not a surprise. Think Manny called it. Anyway, the BoSox got a steal if he's healthy, and are paying a minimal amount if he's not.

[Lil Francis]

Watch him go to Boston and win 15 games.

[robbie380]

horrible move by the astros and great pick up for the sox. this is really going to come back and bite us in the ass.

[juicystream]

At least if he comes back healthy he can help beat the Yankees. Good Luck Wade Miller. I hope we beat in the World Series though.

[Surfguy]

Why couldn't we just offer him a low base, incentive-laden contract like that?

[Raven Lunatic]

This doesn't really bother me. I had given up on Wade being healthy, and if they had continued trying to get him healthy only to have him get injured again, it would just add unneccesary instability to a rotation that definitely doesn't need it. I'd rather they look in a different direction.

[Rockets10]

Originally posted by robbie380
horrible move by the astros and great pick up for the sox. this is really going to come back and bite us in the ass.

agreed

[Fegwu]

Good for Miller. I am relieved that he did not go to the cubbies or Cards.

Tim Purpura [sp?] era is off to a not-so-good start. The jury is still out though. How will this affect Carlos Beltran's decision?

:(

[JunkyardDwg]

Originally posted by Surfguy
Why couldn't we just offer him a low base, incentive-laden contract like that?

Woulda been nice to do that but I don't think it was possible:

Miller earned $3.4 million in arbitration in 2004 and would have likely received a raise in '05.

Good for Miller. I am relieved that he did not go to the cubbies or Cards.

Tim Purpura [sp?] era is off to a not-so-good start. The jury is still out though. How will this affect Carlos Beltran's decision?

Letting Kent and Miller go could come back to haunt us, but Kent is at the latter stage of his career (though still very productive) and Miller's injury/value is a big question mark. If we get Beltran, all is forgotten. Plus, he mentioned way back one of the conditions for him to stay was to keep the core young talent in place (Oswalt, Berkman, Everett). So I dont think losing those two will be a big factor.

As it is, with they key subtractions and the fact that all our chips are on Beltran... I agree its still to early to tell what kind of job Purpura is gonna do, but I am pleased he hasn't blinked once concerining Beltran/Boras.

[meh]

Originally posted by Surfguy
Why couldn't we just offer him a low base, incentive-laden contract like that?

That's the first thing I thought when I saw the contract. Surely he would've taken a similar contract from us if he wanted to stay. The $1.5 mil guaranteed is a risk, but hardly significant. And if he could reach the $3 mil incentives, then he would be worth the money anyway.

Unless Miller took less money to be with the Sox, Pupura screwed up big time.

[Trader_Jorge]

We couldn't offer a $2mm base salary??? Absurd. For every big dollar splash Drayton makes he makes about 5 penny-pinching blunders.

[Fegwu]

Originally posted by Trader_Jorge
We couldn't offer a $2mm base salary??? Absurd. For every big dollar splash Drayton makes he makes about 5 penny-pinching blunders.

That baffled me too. I would really like to see how the Astros spin this. Maybe if they land Beltran we will forget about it (they hope).

[edc]

Originally posted by Trader_Jorge
We couldn't offer a $2mm base salary??? Absurd. For every big dollar splash Drayton makes he makes about 5 penny-pinching blunders.

The Astros were not allowed to offer anything less than -20% from last year's contract. $3.4M - .68M = $2.72M

[Dream Sequence]

Exactly. What the Red Sox got here was option value! Can't believe a guy as smart as Mclane doesn't see the option value.....

[Lil Francis]

Not only do the Stros have bullpen problems but now they have starting pitching problems. Instead of drooling over one man why not sure up the bullpen and keep Miller. Steve Kline was on the market but the O's picked him up. He would have been a nice middle relief guy next season.

[Refman]

Originally posted by edc
The Astros were not allowed to offer anything less than -20% from last year's contract. $3.4M - .68M = $2.72M
Even then, he could have forced arbitration. Sky is the limit there. No certainty at all.

[Puedlfor]

Astros couldn't have signed him to the same contract the BoSox did without non-tendering him. No really good choice for the Good Guys here - give a guy with injury problems big money, or let a potentially solid starter go for nothing. Given they need every dollar for Beltran, I reckon they made the right choice - hard as it was.

[Joshfast]

Originally posted by Puedlfor
Astros couldn't have signed him to the same contract the BoSox did without non-tendering him. No really good choice for the Good Guys here - give a guy with injury problems big money, or let a potentially solid starter go for nothing. Given they need every dollar for Beltran, I reckon they made the right choice - hard as it was.

I agree, this was a damned if they do, damned if they don't scenario. All the eggs are in the Beltran basket, no Beltran = no Clemens, the free agent pool is drying up and our farm system is diminished to a point that it will make any significant trade difficult.

[BigM]

i'm sure the stros would have given him a similar contract if they could. at least he's not on a rival.

[elrond]

I guess I just don't understand the contract rules, etc. I think if he becomes a free agent, then the Astros should be able to sign him to whatever contract that is agreed on. Kinda like a reverse 'bird rights'. Who would have thought you needed a rule to be able to sign a guy for the same lower amount as another team :P

[Sishir Chang]

Originally posted by robbie380
horrible move by the astros and great pick up for the sox. this is really going to come back and bite us in the ass.

Its not going to be that bad unless we end up in the World Series and have to face him.

[dylan]

Puedlfor,
you just don't understand baseball.

[RocketsPimp]

Originally posted by Refman
Even then, he could have forced arbitration. Sky is the limit there. No certainty at all.

Would we have had to pay him then?

The 'Stros pitching sucks. It won't matter if we sign Beltran when out pitchers give up 4+ runs per game.

[Puedlfor]

Originally posted by dylan
Puedlfor,
you just don't understand baseball.

I know. Women and baseball are the two great mysteries of my life.

"Sheeeeee's like the wiiiiind . . ." God, Patrick Swayze was so wise.

[edc]

Originally posted by RocketsPimp
Would we have had to pay him then? (in arbitration)


Had the Astros offered Miller arbitration (and he accepted), the choices are reduced to settling on a deal beforehand, Miller retiring, or both sides accepting the arbiter's decision. Salaries NEVER go down in arbitration.

[Milos]

Personally, I like Wade, but he has always been a ticking time bomb waiting to blow up.

That across-the-body delivery involves some of the worst mechanics I have ever seen, and I just have a feeling he will never become what everyone thought he would.

My only regret is that we didn't trade him before letting him go for nothing. Give Hernandez and Buckholtz a chance.

Besides, as has been said many other times, the entire offseason is now riding on Clemens and Beltran anyways.

A top three of Oswalt, Clemens and Pettitte is as good as any in baseball. Miller was a luxury, not a necessity.

[sums41]

hope he does well.

[rrj_gamz]

Good for him, but bad for us...He will do well in Bean town...