The Andrew Miller era in Cleveland is over for the Indians, as Friday the free agent relief pitcher inked a two-year deal with the St.Louis Cardinals for a reported $25 million.
It’s not a shock that the Indians lost Miller, as they never were reported to be in the running to retain his services after he hit the free agent market.
Last season Miller struggled, ending the season 2-4 with a 4.24 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 10 holds, 2 saves and 3 blown saves.
It was a rather big falloff from the 2017 season in which he went 4-3 with a 1.44 ERA.
The 33-year-old never seemed to get healthy in 2018, as he had a couple of stints on the disabled list, one for a left hamstring, another with inflammation in his right knee and a left shoulder impingement.
The team did all they could to get him back to full strength, giving him time off and keeping him on the DL for an extended amount of time.
Even when he came back he wasn’t nearly as dominant as he was the two seasons before, and by the end it was obvious the Indians were going to move on without him.
Miller came to the Indians in a huge deal on trade deadline with the New York Yankees in 2016 for four prospects, including former first-round pick Clint Frazier.
The deal paid off right away, as Miller was 4-0 with three saves and a 1.55 ERA after the trade and was a huge force for the team to win seven of their first eight playoff games and get to the World Series.
He was even the MVP of the AL Championship Series against the Jays, becoming just the fourth reliever ever to win the award.
Now he’s gone, another free agent that’s left the team this offseason, joining the likes of Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall and Josh Donaldson (gone via free agency), and Yonder Alonso, Edwin Encarnacion, and Yandy Diaz (who were all moved in trades).
.@a_miller48's dominance during the 2016 playoffs was key in our run to the World Series.
Thank you for everything, Andrew, and best of luck in St. Louis!
One last time … ? pic.twitter.com/xXAbuXe9hY
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) December 21, 2018
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