Allen Lieu
Left handed relief pitching is always in demand. With the Dodgers bullpen, their only reliable lefty option was J.P. Howell. Scott Elbert did not fare well in the playoffs. Paco Rodriguez was left off the post season roster. Adding another lefty to the bullpen will help the Dodgers. With an impressive season, Andrew Miller is the premier left handed relief option for many teams. The New York Yankees, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and many other teams are said to be interested in Miller. Miller compiled 2.02 ERA and 6.1 K/BB ratio in 2014 for the Baltimore Orioles.
Miller was the Detroit Tiger’s 6th pick in the 2006 draft . He was drafted out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Miller has played for four MLB teams throughout his career (Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles). In his 9 year career, he has a lifetime ERA of 4.91 with a win-loss of 30-39. He has a logged a total of 492.2 innings pitched in the major leagues.
The rumored price for Miller is in the four year range. Will the Dodgers engage in a bidding war with the New York Yankees or other teams? The Dodgers have the money to do so and Miller would improve their bullpen, especially in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium. If the Dodgers starting pitcher can go a decent six innings would it be feasible to have a combo of Miller/Howell in the 7th/8th inning, followed by Kenley Jansen in the 9th inning? Hopefully the Dodgers make an announcement soon that will ignite the MLB Hot Stove!
