It isn’t a marquee move fans are looking for this off-season, but the Red Sox made their first acquisition on Friday. The Sox traded LHP Dustin Richardson to the Florida Marlins for LHP Andrew Miller. Richardson appeared in 26 games for the Red Sox last season, finishing with a 4.15 era, 14 walks and 12 strikeouts. The organization had lost confidence in him and were able to trade for a pitcher with a high potential upside. Miller is 25, but was rushed to the majors at age 21 with the Detroit Tigers and has not lived up to his potential since. He is tall (6’7″) and powerful (mid 90s fastball) and the Sox feel they can give him the tools he needs to be successful in the majors. Technically Miller is a starter, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Red Sox convert him into a reliever to try and revive his young career.
It appears that the Sox will be looking to add 1 or 2 strong relievers this off-season either through trade or in the free agent market, with the big-name moves coming on the offensive side of the diamond. This move is low-risk, high-reward, because the Sox can develop Miller in AAA and then move him to the big leagues at his own pace. If the Sox staff can turn Miller into a strong major league pitcher, they will save lots of money in the future, having another strong lefty in their system. Relief pitching specifically is expensive in the open market and top relievers tend to get over-inflated contracts, so to build from within could be huge for the future.
If there is one thing Theo Epstein is great at, it is making lots of small moves to build up depth in AAA and on the bench in the majors. All the attention will be on Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez, but as important as the big deals are the smaller transactions that put the remainder of the Sox pieces together. Having options in AAA to replace injured players and stocking a bench with versatile role players is what has made the Sox successful in the past. The 2011 season will be no exception.
Welcome to the Red Sox Andrew Miller. We would be more than happy to revive your career.