Nothing Remains From the Andrew Miller Trade

Headlined by Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield, the four-player package the Yankees received for Miller was widely praised in 2016. None of those players are still with New York, and they haven’t had much success elsewhere.

The Yankees were lauded when they sent Andrew Miller to Cleveland for a four-prospect package before the 2016 trade deadline.

Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield headlined New York’s return for the reliever, which also included pitchers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. Frazier was 21^st on Baseball America’s midseason prospect rankings, while Sheffield was 69^th. At the time, the trade was considered a haul for the Yankees, who had already unloaded closer Aroldis Chapman amid an underachieving season.

Fast forward to 2021, though, and none of those players remain in New York. Frazier, the top prize of the trade, was the last to leave after the Yankees released the outfielder on Nov. 23.

Frazier’s departure came less than a year after he was anointed New York’s starting left fielder. A strong, albeit shortened, 2020 season earned him that role entering spring training, but unspecified health issues derailed the 27-year-old’s 2021 campaign. Frazier finished the season with a .186 average in just 66 games.

READ: Why Yankees' Aaron Boone Believes Clint Frazier Can Still Find Success

Frazier never played more than 69 games in a season for the Yankees, and he finished his Bronx tenure with a 0.2 fWAR. He posted a career-best 1.4 fWAR in 2020, but he finished with a negative mark in three out of five seasons.

Frazier’s production was, by far, the most the Yankees directly got out of the Miller deal.

Sheffield pitched in just three games for the Yankees in 2018 before he was flipped to Seattle in a trade for James Paxton. Paxton pitched fairly well for the Yankees in 2019, recording a 3.5 fWAR in 29 starts before injuries limited him to just five games in 2020. Sheffield, meanwhile, has yet to solidify himself as a big league starter. The 25-year-old southpaw pitched well during the expedited 2020 season, but he finished 2021 with a 6.83 ERA and has a 1.5 fWAR over 42 MLB games.

Heller only made 31 appearances for New York between 2016 and 2020. He was effective during brief cameos in 2017 and 2019, but injuries have hampered his career. He did not pitch in 2021.

Feyereisen never pitched for the Yankees after they dealt him to Milwaukee in a minor trade in September 2019. The Brewers then sent him to Tampa Bay, New York’s American League East rival, in the Willy Adames-Drew Rasmussen deal. Feyereisen was effective for both clubs in 2021, recording a 2.73 ERA in 55 games.

Miller, meanwhile, recorded a 1.1 fWAR in 26 games for a Cleveland team that won the pennant in 2016. The lefty remained dominant in 2017, recording a 2.3 fWAR. Injuries made him less of a force in 2018, but Miller finished his Cleveland career with a 2.22 ERA and parlayed that into a sizeable payday from the Cardinals. The 37-year-old is a free agent after spending the last three seasons in St. Louis.

Miller totaled 3.8 fWAR for Cleveland. The package that was dealt for him totaled -0.2 fWAR for New York.

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