Palladino: Yanks Must Keep Miller Regardless Of Trade Value
By Ernie Palladino
» More Ernie Palladino Columns
Having a nice, consistent closer represents a major asset for any team.
Having a shutdown setup/closer combo? That's gold.
The Yankees had that this past season, and it proved to be a big part of the difference between earning a wild card spot and missing their way-too-short postseason entirely.
The late-inning combination of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller quickly became as lethal a combination as there was in the league. To break that up by trading the left-handed Miller, even for a quality starting pitcher, would be to put virtually every lead the Yanks get in 2016 in jeopardy.
It's not that Betances can't fill Miller's closer shoes. He barely lost out on that job during spring training. And when he did get a chance to close, Betances responded with nine saves out of 13 opportunities.
He throws hard, and he's around the plate. He'd make a fine closer who could easily project to Miller's outstanding 36-of-38 save conversion rate of last season.
The issue lies with the setup spot. Plenty of teams never get games to their closer because of eighth-inning breakdowns. Tyler Clippard illustrated that perfectly in the World Series when he gave up two of the three eighth-inning runs in the Royals' come-from-behind win in Game 4. But when he threw well in the regular season, Clippard and Jeurys Familia made for a fine late-game combination.
Miller no doubt offers trade quality. Teams covet left-handed pitchers who can throw the heck out of the baseball, which is what Miller does whenever he sets foot on the mound. If Brian Cashman wanted, he could probably get a big arm for him and shore up a rotation that can only be described as suspect. With CC Sabathia near the end, literally, and Masahiro Tanaka's elbow continuing to hang by a tendon, and Michael Pineda experiencing injury problems of his own, and Ivan Nova bottoming out, Joe Girardi could certainly use a strong, additional starter.
But the way baseball is played today, having a true back end of the bullpen is even more important than starters who offer six, even seven innings of low-run ball. Starters are not unimportant -- just ask the Mets -- but consider what the records of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard might have looked like if Terry Collins had Betances leading Familia into the ninth instead of the Carlos Torreses and Bobby Parnells he had to run out there before Clippard came aboard in July.
Look at how the champion Royals benefited from having Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis to finish games.
Trading Miller would disrupt all that, unless the Yanks want to gamble that Adam Warren, Justin Wilson, or a combination of both could slip in there. They did well in 23 2/3 combined innings in that inning, holding opponents to a .175 BA and throwing to a 1.52 ERA. But that still contrasts with Betances' 0.81 ERA and .159 opponents BA over 55 1/3 innings there.
He wasn't just good. He was a dominant setup man.
They have a sure thing in Betances and Miller right now. Cashman would risk a lot if he broke up that progression at a point where the Yanks not only need to make the playoffs in 2016, but make a deep run.
Losing a wild card game and calling the season a success just won't cut it next year.
A good bullpen gives the Yankees a chance to become a true AL East power again.
They already have one of the best combination in Betances and Miller.
Cashman would be a fool to mess with that.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
