UPDATE: The Diamondbacks and Braves have announced the trade.
OFFICIAL: #Dbacks acquire Shelby Miller & Gabe Speier from Atlanta for Ender Inciarte, Aaron Blair & Dansby Swanson. pic.twitter.com/xDuonrJDGT
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) December 9, 2015
#Braves acquire OF Ender Inciarte, RHP Aaron Blair and SS Dansby Swanson from #Dbacks in exchange for RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Gabe Speier.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 9, 2015
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The Arizona Diamondbacks signed Zack Greinke to a $206.5 million contract on Friday and got themselves an ace. On Tuesday they got themselves a No. 2 starter, according to the latest rumors.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the D-Backs have agreed to acquire Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves pending the review of medical records. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Braves will get outfielder Ender Inciarte and others in the deal. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic adds the Braves will also get prospect pitcher Aaron Blair and prospect shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Blair, 23, is considered the Diamondbacks' No. 1 overall prospect, and Swanson, 21, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt.
Steve Gilbert of MLB.com adds the D-Backs will also receive prospect pitcher Gabe Speier, who the Braves acquired earlier this offseason from the Tigers in the trade that sent outfielder Cameron Maybin to Detroit.
Earlier today Rosenthal reported that Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart had lunch with Braves general manager John Coppolella. The D-Backs have been one of many MLB clubs checking in on Miller, who has been regarded as one of the hottest trade candidates this offseason due to his 2015 performance and the fact he's under club control through 2018.
Miller, 25, went 6-17 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 33 starts (205 1/3 innings) with the Braves this past season.
The exorbitant cost of starters this offseason has forced many teams to explore the trade market in hopes of landing a cost-controlled starter. The Diamondbacks explored both avenues in signing Greinke and going after Miller.
Earlier today Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported that the D-Backs had "moved their attention away" from the right-hander as the Braves were looking for a number of good young players in return. However, much earlier this morning Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reported that Arizona was "hopeful" to acquire Miller today and Heyman said the Braves could move Miller as early as today.
Atlanta was initially asking Arizona for outfielder A.J. Pollock, who was among the best outfielders in the MLB in 2015. The D-Backs turned down such a request, and rightfully so, as Pollock was an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner and finished 14th in the NL MVP voting. He figures to be a cornerstone of the Diamondbacks' future along with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
This deal seems fair for both sides. The D-Backs received a proven starter in Miller while the Braves continue to prepare for the future with the acquisition of young players in Inciarte, Blair and Swanson.
Inciarte batted .303/.338/.408 with 73 runs scored, 6 home runs, 45 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 132 games last season.
Blair went 13-5 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 26 games (25 starts), totaling 160 1/3 innings, between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno.
Swanson appeared in 22 games with Low Class-A Hillsboro and hit .289/.394/.482 with 19 runs scored, 1 home run and 11 RBIs shortly after taking Vanderbilt to the College World Series despite losing to the University of Virginia.
