The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen already has a ton of options on hand to begin the season, but that seemingly isn’t stopping them from looking ahead.
Thirteen-year major league veteran Shelby Miller underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of last season after appearing in 11 games with the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers. Miller is expected to miss most of the upcoming campaign, but Chicago evidently saw him as a fit to help the bullpen next year, with any contributions this year as an added bonus.
According to a Friday report from Robert Murray of FanSided, Miller and the Cubs agreed on a multi-year major league contract. That deal would enable Miller to collect a guaranteed salary while rehabbing from his surgery and set him up to become an impact member of the bullpen by the start of next season at the latest.
Miller can be placed on the 60-day injured list, allowing the Cubs to save flexibility on the 40-man roster throughout the spring.
Though Miller struggled with the Brewers in his 11 games last year, he was fantastic in 37 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks before the trade deadline. His season totals finished at a 2.74 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and 15 walks across 46 innings.
Once a first-round pick for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2009 draft, Miller’s career has been a true roller coaster. He was an All-Star starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves in 2015, got traded for former Diamondbacks No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson that winter, and struggled mightily in three years over his first Diamondbacks stint, while also undergoing his first Tommy John procedure.
Late in his career, however, Miller has had a nice resurgence out of the bullpen. The Cubs, whose recent track record with veteran relievers is quite strong, clearly saw a lot of things they liked about his metrics from last season.
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