Yankees Rumors: Andrew Miller Trade Was Declined In Winter

New York Yankees Rumors: The Yankees reportedly had an offer from the Houton Astros on the table for Andrew Miller revolved around Vince Velasquez, but they turned it down.

New York Yankees rumors have begun popping up in recent days as the team fell back under the .500 mark. The topic of discussion has been the bullpen, with Andrew Miller garnering the most interest. The San Francisco Giants are one of the teams reportedly interested in Miller, but the Yankees brass has decided now is not the time to make a deal.

The offseason must not have been a time to make a deal either, as the Yankees reportedly turned down overtures from the Houston Astros. According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Astros were interested in acquiring Miller to add to the back end of their bullpen.

The Yankees would decline, and the Astros would move on to another deal, landing Ken Giles from the Philadelphia Phillies. While that trade hasn’t worked out for the Astros, as Giles has been unable to lock down the closer spot, the topic of discussion for this piece is what went to the Phillies. Namely, starting pitcher Vincent Velasquez.

Velasquez has enjoyed an outstanding start to his Phillies’ career, and is one of the reasons the Phillies have hung around the .500 mark this season. The Phillies actually have one more victory than the Yankees this season, and Velasquez has had a big hand in that.

Velasquez has compiled a record of 5-2 with an ERA of 3.67 and WHIP of 1.27. He has 73 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings, giving him an impressive 10.7 K/9; that ranks him sixth in among qualifying starters, trailing only Jose Fernandez, Noah Syndergaard, Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Chris Archer.

He also has a historic start under his belt already this season. Back in his first start at Citizen’s Bank Park as a member of the Phillies, he threw a complete game, 16 strikeout, zero walk gem against the San Diego Padres. That performance put him in some elite company.

Imagine the type of coverage a performance like that would have received if it came in Yankees’ pinstripes instead of with the rebuilding Phillies. Well, that could have happened, as Sherman said that Velasquez was part of the package that the Yankees would have received from the Astros for Miller.

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Sherman notes that the package the Phillies received for Giles, Velasquez, Mark Appel, Harol Arauz, Thomas Eshelman and Brett Oberholtzer, would have been similar to what the Yankees received. While the exact parts that would have been exchanged for Miller are not clear, what is known is that Velasquez would have been the centerpiece, and he is exactly what the Yankees are looking for.

Miller is more established than Giles is, so it is fair to say that the Yankees would have gotten an even better package than the Phillies received. That is partly why Sherman said the Yankees declined the trade, as they can now ask for an even higher price in season as a team looks to make a postseason push, but also would have Miller for the next two seasons at a price under market value.

Miller could be the key to the Yankees future, as he could really jump start their reload if he is unloaded at the trade deadline or this offseason. He could be a game changer for a pennant race, as he is one of the best in the game at what he does, as he can be a team’s closer or set-up man; roles he has been extremely successful in with the Yankees since he joined the team for 2015.

There should be no shortage of suitors for Miller should the Yankees make him available, as we could see a firesale of flamethrowers in the Bronx this summer. In addition to Miller, don’t be surprised if the Yankees push to trade Aroldis Chapman and possibly Dellin Betances.

Chapman is an impending free agent and maximizing the return on him makes sense. The Yankees would have to be blown away by an offer for Betances, but for a team that doens’t look like a contender until at least 2018, why not add more young, cost controlled talent if the opportunity presents itself? How much does a lights out bullpen arm really help a team that doesn’t win many games?

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That is a question the Yankees will be asking themselves numerous times in the coming weeks, as they will go back-and-forth with the idea of trading someone out of their three-headed monster at the backend of the game.