Kyle Tucker’s Dodgers deal could help Guardians acquire former first-round pick

The Cleveland Guardians haven’t been shy about their desire to add to their bullpen. In fact, the Guardians’ only big league additions this offseason have come in the form of bullpen additions.

And while that one-sided offseason focus has been a bit frustrating given the Guardians still have some clear holes on their roster, they’re also in a position where they have some flexibility to change their approach based on how the market changes. 

And arguably the biggest market change of the offseason occurred last week when Kyle Tucker ended his free agency saga by signing a four-year, $240 deal with the Dodgers. 

The deal has plenty of ramifications throughout baseball, but we got some new insight into how it could impact the Dodgers on Friday night when The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that Tucker’s signing could result in the Dodgers looking to trade right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller, who was once regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball but has fallen on hard times as of late. 

While Miller’s career hasn’t gone the way it was expected after the Dodgers selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, he’s a perfect buy low candidate for the Guardians to try to rehabilitate. 

The Guardians’ pitching factory could help Bobby Miller turn into a quality MLB pitcher again 

Miller quickly rose the Dodgers’ prospect ranks and entered the 2023 season ranked as the No. 24 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. He eventually made his debut later that season and finished the year with a  3.76 ERA in 124 1/3 innings. 

That still stands as the high water mark of his MLB career, however, as he hit the injured list in April 2024 and finished the year with a 8.52 ERA in 56 innings. He was then hit in the head by a line drive in spring training last season and ended up spending most of the year in Triple-A. 

He allowed six runs in a spot start with the Dodgers in April, and the organization eventually decided to move him to the bullpen midway through the season.

Miller ended up posting a 3.55 ERA in 12 2/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City in August (his first full month as a reliever), but he allowed eight runs in 6 2/3 innings in the final month of the season. 

While Miller is still on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, it seems like he could be the odd man out on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster as the team restructures its roster after an offseason spending spree. 

Even if Miller’s results last season weren’t great, his fastball still sits at 97.4 miles per hour (91st percentile) and he’s had success in the big leagues in the past.

Not only has the Guardians’ pitching factory has done more with less, but they could also take advantage of their newfound relief depth and stash Miller in the minors. 

It wouldn’t be a flashy move, but it could end up being a deal that helps them in the long-term.