Indians: Fantasy Impact of Andrew Miller Trade

By Bill Pivetz | Jul 31, 2016

Jul 23, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Andrew Miller (48) reacts at the end of the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

The Indians needed a reliable arm in the bullpen in order to be a contender for the World Series. As a result, they traded for relief pitcher Andrew Miller, creating a waterfall of effects.

The Cleveland Indians are one of the surprise teams this season. The team has a 4.5 game lead in the American League Central and the second-best record in the AL. The Indians are not free of any problems, though. They needed to secure a consistent arm for the bullpen, and they got one. Adding Andrew Miller to the bullpen creates a lot of moving pieces for both sides.

Let’s start with the Indians side of this trade. The team currently has Cody Allen saving games. He hasn’t been bad, just not consistent. He has a 2.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 20 saves.

In the month of July, he’s recorded three saves in 10 appearances. In those 10 games, he’s allowed multiple base runners three times and has six games with two strikeouts. Allen has given up just one earned run in that span. This trade is more likely for a set-up man behind Allen than his actual replacement.

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Brian Shaw has a 4.00 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 45.0 innings this season. That kind of performance is going to be the Indians downfall if they didn’t stop it. Having a good set-up man is as important as having a good closer. Just look at Tony Watson of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Miller may be having the best season of his 11-year career. He has a 1.39 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 15.3 K/9, 1.4 BB/9 and nine saves in 45.1 innings. Most of those saves came at the beginning of the season when Aroldis Chapman was suspended. Having closer experience will give the Indians the confidence to put him in if Allen needs a rest day.

Over to the Yankees side, Dellin Betances becomes the big winner in all of this. He no longer has Miller and Chapman ahead of him on the depth chart. He pitched well when called upon in the ninth inning last season. This season, while some of the numbers may be down, he is still pitching well.

In 50.1 innings, he has a 2.50 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 15.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. He made a big improvement on his walk rate, 4.3 last season, but has given up 35 hits. Regardless, now that he is the de facto closer in New York, his value skyrockets.

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For the rest of the season, Allen remains the closer in Cleveland. Miller is surely the backup and Shaw is just a middle relief pitcher. In New York, Betances is the closer. He’s owned in 64.4 percent of ESPN leagues, but that should be going up over the next couple of days.

Miller is still worth owning, though. He was owned in 86.5 percent of leagues as the Yankees set-up man, so nothing should change with this trade. He could record a save or two when Miller needs a day off.

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