The New York Yankees might be losing closer David Robertson in free agency, so they've been exploring other options to fill the potential void. New York apparently has their sights set on left-hander Andrew Miller, who had a career year in 2014.
Within the past couple of weeks reports have surfaced that mentioned Miller had a number of multi-year offers on the table. Those came as no surprise since Miller notched his best campaign this past season, compiling a 5-5 record with a 2.02 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 62 1/3 innings. He also added an astonishing 103 strikeouts during his stints with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, two rival executives with knowledge of the process believe the Yankees are going to land Miller. Some initially believed New York's pursuit of the left-hander was to gain leverage against Robertson, but they're very well in the running to sign Miller to a four-year deal close to $40 million. The Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are said to be the finalists to acquire Miller, with the Boston Red Sox bowing out of the competition, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
"The Dodgers have an excellent closer in Kenley Jansen but significant set-up questions," he writes. "The Yankees and free-agent closer David Robertson have been in talks but it appears the Yankees are more willing to go to four years for Miller since it'll be a lower annual salary with no draft-pick attachment."
What's even more interesting is that if New York signs Miller it wouldn't end their pursuit of Robertson. Although Robertson wants a four-year, $50 million contract, the Yankees have still kept in touch with his agent because his price is bound to decrease. There aren't many teams throughout the MLB who would be willing to shell out $13 million per year for a closer, especially a soon-to-be 30-year-old who has only one year of ninth inning experience under his belt. Robertson converted 39 of 44 save opportunities last season and maintained a 3.08 ERA, but he only has 47 saves in his seven-year career.
The fact that New York might be considering signing both Miller and Robertson (if the price is right) could indicate the team is not going to spend much more money on their offense or starting rotation. If they have Dellin Betances, Miller and Robertson finishing off games, they're obviously acknowledging their offense won't be giving them big leads and that the starting rotation might not be healthy or effective enough to go deep into games (the health of C.C. Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda are all in question).
New York needs to find a way to compete in the AL East, which could return in 2015 as one of the best divisions in baseball. The Blue Jays and Red Sox have already made big moves this offseason, so it's time the Yankees address their needs.
