Phillies trade for utility player Brad Miller, send Yankees cash considerations in return
Miller, who can play nearly any position, had a .994 OPS this season in 41 games with the Yankees’ triple-A affiliate.
The Phillies will add utility player Brad Miller to their bench this weekend after acquiring him Thursday from the Yankees for cash considerations.
Miller, 29, had a .994 OPS this season in 41 games with the Yankees’ triple-A affiliate. He’s lefthanded and can play nearly every position. Adding Miller is an attempt by the Phillies to get more production from their bench as they will also return Roman Quinn from the injured list.
Miller hit 30 homers in 2016 with the Rays but has since hit just 17 with a .692 OPS in 198 major-league games with Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. He was in spring training with the Dodgers before moving to the Indians in March. He was designated for assignment by Cleveland after just 13 games and latched on with the Yankees. The Phillies are his fourth organization in less than three months.
The Phillies will have to make a pair of roster moves to add Miller and Quinn. Nick Williams will likely return to triple A as the Phillies look to get him regular work. The other subtraction will be either Phil Gosselin or Sean Rodriguez. Gosselin, Rodriguez, Williams, and Andrew Knapp - the team’s current four-man bench - has a combined .213 batting average and 15 extra-base hits. They are just 13 for 68 as pinch hitters.