One Pittsburgh Pirates trade candidate from each National League division

Pirates NL West Trade Candidate:
Bobby Miller

The LA Dodgers have become what the NY Yankees were in the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, signing any and all high-profile players. They recently inked Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki, adding yet another arm to their starting pitcher depth chart, as well as relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. That could mean they might be willing to move one of their pitchers, including hard-throwing right-hander Bobby Miller.

Miller had a rough 2024 season, pitching to a horrific 8.52 ERA, 6.97 FIP, and 1.77 WHIP in just 56 innings of work. The righty struck out a meager 20.2% of batters faced with a worryingly high 11.6% walk rate, but the real killer to his season was his HR/9. Miller averaged nearly three home runs allowed per nine innings, with a 2.92 HR/9. Now, granted, a 27.4% HR:FB ratio shows some poor luck on his end, but an 11.5% barrel rate and 91.5 MPH exit velocity are both well below average numbers

Miller also saw a big dip in velocity and stuff last season. His four-seamer averaged out at 99.1 MPH in 2023, but dropped to 97.8 MPH the next campaign. Stuff+ still liked his offerings in 2024 at 113, but that still represented a large drop from 123 the previous season. But again, that only means he’s one year removed from averaging nearly 100 MPH as a starting pitcher. That's the type of pitcher worth taking a chance on.

Miller pitched 124.1 innings in his rookie year with a 3.76 ERA, 3.51 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP. Despite tossing nearly 100 MPH, he only walked 6.1% of opponents with a solid 23.1% K%. Home runs were far less of an issue for Miller as well. He had a sub-1.00 HR/9 rate at 0.87. He was also much better at limiting hard contact with an 88.3 MPH exit velocity (65th percentile) and 6% barrel rate (81st percentile).

Like many Dodger pitchers, Miller had a run-in with injuries last year. He missed about two months, from early April through late June, with shoulder issues. He struggled badly in four starts upon his return before getting optioned back to Triple-A. MLB.com does not list Miller on the Dodgers’ depth chart for either their rotation or bullpen. The Dodgers would be selling low, but Miller could, at the very least, potentially be a quality bullpen arm in 2025.

Other NL West notables: Robert Suarez, Jake McCarthy