SF Giants unlikely to re-sign late-season breakout reliever Shelby Miller
In 2022, Shelby Miller helped stabilize the SF Giants bullpen late in the season after a September callup. Miller inked a minor-league contract with the Giants earlier this year but is back on the free-agent market this offseason. According to a report by Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, Miller is unlikely to re-sign with the Giants.
SF Giants reliever Shelby Miller during his tenure with the Pirates. (2021)
Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
"It doesn’t sound as if Shelby Miller will be back with the Giants," Slusser Tweeted on Wednesday. "[T]hey offered him a minor league deal but he has two big-league deals on the table so far from other teams. He looked like he can contribute at the big-league level; that’s an area the Giants could use help."
Miller was a first-round pick out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2009 and quickly emerged as a consensus top-100 prospect. Miller made his MLB debut in 2012 and was a part of the Cardinals bullpen in the playoffs when they faced off against the Giants in the NLCS.
The following year, Miller became a mainstay in St. Louis' rotation, recording a 3.06 ERA across 173.1 innings pitched. After another impressive season in 2014, where Miller pitched against the Giants once again in the NLCS, Miller was included in a blockbuster trade that sent him to Atlanta for outfielder Jason Heyward.
Miller had a career year in 2015 with Atlanta. He earned the only All-Star selection of his career and posted a 3.02 ERA across 205.1 innings. Then, that offseason, he was traded once again, this time to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a package that included the most recent first-overall pick in the draft (Dansby Swanson).
It's unclear whether Atlanta and St. Louis knew Miller's early-career success was unsustainable or not, but he imploded almost as soon as he arrived in Arizona. He recorded a 6.15 ERA in 20 starts and was optioned to Triple-A while the Dbacks tried to get him back to his previous form.
The following year, Miller underwent season-ending UCL surgery. While he has appeared in nearly every big-league season since (he opted out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Miller has never rekindled his early-career success. From 2018-2021, Miller appeared in 37 games with the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Cubs, and Pirates. He amassed a 9.17 ERA in 72.2 innings pitched (37 games) with 57 strikeouts and 48 walks.
This season, though, Miller seemed to find a breakthrough. He spent the majority of the season with the Yankees and Giants Triple-A affiliates. Between both stops, he recorded 12 saves and a 2.87 ERA in 43 appearances with 69 strikeouts and 21 walks in 53.1 innings pitched. He posted a 6.39 ERA in four appearances with the Giants, but that number is deceptive. He struck out 14 batters in seven innings pitched while walking just one opponent. He had racked up 5.2 shutout innings before surrendering four runs in his final outing of the season.
The SF Giants will likely sign at least one reliever this offseason to a big-league contract. They have recently been tied to free-agent closer Kenley Jansen. However, the front office is unwilling to commit a 40-man roster spot to Shelby Miller despite some impressive outings late in the season. There is plenty of time for things to change this winter, but according to Slusser's report, Miller will be donning a different uniform in 2023.
