Former Detroit Tigers All-Star Reliever Signs Contract With NL Contender

A former Detroit Tigers reliever has signed a deal with a National League team looking for more bullpen help.

Aug 9, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Shelby Miller (7) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

A veteran reliever who spent the 2024 season with the Detroit Tigers has landed with a new team.

As first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided, right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller has signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a contract which includes an invitation to spring training.

Though he's still just 34 years old, Miller has been in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons now, ending up with the Tigers last winter after signing a one-year deal worth $3 million. The contract also included a $4.25 million team option for the 2025 season, but Detroit designated him for assignment when they called up top prospect Jackson Jobe late in the season and brought his tenure in the Motor City to a close.

Miller's numbers were not horrible coming out of the bullpen in 2024, but were not good enough to justify entertaining the option either. With a 4.53 ERA in 51 appearances and 55.2 innings pitched, he also posted one of the best WHIP figures in his career with a 0.970.

Absolutely still capable of pushing for a spot in an MLB bullpen, it will be interesting to see whether or not Miller is able to make the Diamondbacks Opening Day roster and stick around for the duration of the season.

It's his second stint in Arizona, having spent three seasons there from 2016-2018, but he was a starting pitcher at the time before making a full time transition to the bullpen several years ago.

Ultimately, though he had a relatively forgettable tenure with the Tigers, how Miller is able to perform this season will be monitored by Detroit fans given their choice not to bring him back.