MLB Rumors: Andrew Miller Drawing Interest from Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, More

Interest in free-agent reliever Andrew Miller is high, with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets entering the race to sign the veteran left-hander, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Sunday.

According to Morosi, more teams are pursuing Miller, but Miller is "not yet close to signing a new contract."

Miller's value took a hit as a result of the 2018 season.

He made 37 appearances for the Cleveland Indians and finished with a 4.24 ERA, up from 1.44 in 2017. According to FanGraphs, his 3.51 FIP was his highest since becoming a full-time reliever in 2012. 

Miller's 11.91 strikeouts per nine innings were also his fewest since 2012, while his 4.24 walks per nine innings were his most since 2013.

The 33-year-old battled knee and shoulder injuries, which could explain his performance dip. With a clean bill of health in 2019, he could be an All-Star for a third time.

The obvious concern is Miller's numbers from this past year were down (seemingly not all because of injuries) and signal an overall decline for a reliever on the wrong side of 30.

Miller's slider is his most devastating pitch. According to Brooks Baseball, opposing batters whiffed on 26.7 percent of Miller's sliders in 2015. That number has slowly declined over the next three seasons: 24.3, 22.3 and 17.9.

Because of his resume, Miller will have plenty of options for his next move. And targeting a pitcher who's battle-tested in October makes sense for the Cardinals and Phillies, both of whom have playoff aspirations in 2019.

Whatever team ultimately signs Miller might be in for a disappointment, though, if it's counting on him to again be one of the most dominant late-inning arms in baseball.