Sep 24, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler (left) celebrates with teammate Javier Baez (9) after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Cubs, Braves Met Late into the Night Working on Miller Trade
I think it’s safe to say that there will be more than a few Front Office executives searching for coffee this morning at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
For a period of time – roughly between Midnight and 1AM Central (Nashville) time, twitter was abuzz with the report of a done deal. That’s not the case, but it does appear that the teams are getting close:
Soler still in play with Braves talks.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) December 8, 2015
Jon Heyman seems to have a summary.
braves were meeting late into night and reportedly made progress. a trade w/ shelby miller could happen as soon as today.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 8, 2015
Jesse Rogers of ESPN is confirming Heyman’s account.
Other sources suggest that the Cubs are not the only ones involved here – the Red Sox, the Diamondbacks, others unknown. If the Braves’ plan was to keep hanging around and waiting for the market to come to them… it has suddenly happened.
There are indications the D-backs have moved their attention away from Shelby Miller. But multiple other teams remain interested. #Braves
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 8, 2015
Maybe. With the Diamondbacks, I have to wonder how squeamish they might be getting regarding A.J. Pollock. They continue to insist that he is nigh untouchable… but now the Cleveland Indians have told them that they’d like to have Pollock in return for Danny Salazar… echoing the Braves’ demands. But do not underestimate their ability to swoop in with a big offer at the last minute… after all, they did that very thing last week to land Zack Greinke.
The Red Sox angle is … curious… as Dave Dombrowski declared before dinnertime that he was happy with his roster “as is”. Though the rumors are out there, I don’t have any confirmation from any of the regular BoxSox beat writers that the Sox have any interest in Miller.
The Cubs Angle
Here’s something that could put a wrinkle into things:
If that’s true, then there could be other things in play here. For instance: the Braves might take back Jason Hammel and his $9 million salary along with Jorge Soler (and?) or Javier Baez, while the Cubs get perhaps Shelby Miller and Williams Perez or another pitcher. That’s total speculation, but the Cubs are known to be prepping for a run at Jason Heyward, so this would help their bottom line.
ALL THAT SAID…
Rosenthal on Shelby: "I would not be surprised if a deal happened here and happened quickly". Also said the Cubs and DBacks are OUT on him
— Joe Lucia (@joelucia10) December 8, 2015
Rosenthal is about the only one saying this so far… but apparently others are hard into the process… a mystery team, perhaps.
Next: Winter Meetings Day 1 - All the Rumors
Regardless: let’s hope Coppolella doesn’t overplay the hand, but if I were to guess: Shelby Miller will be wearing a different hat by this time tomorrow.