The vibes are high right now in LA after the Los Angeles Dodgers completed their historic Tokyo Series beating the Chicago Cubs in both games. It was a momentous occasion, great for the sport of baseball, and great for the Dodgers organization which has become a worldwide brand.
Now they get back to the States and prepare for their home opener against the Detroit Tigers on March 27th. One player who most likely will not be in the lineup for the foreseeable future is starting pitcher Bobby Miller.
Miller had a promising rookie campaign in 2023, but struggled last season and ultimately ended up back in the minors. Heading into this season, he was in a contested battle for the 5th starting rotation spot, a spot that Dustin May ultimately won.
Miller was optioned last week and will begin the 2025 season in the Minor Leagues.
Could Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Bobby Miller Be A Potential Trade Candidate?
Due to this, and the depth that the Dodgers have at the pitcher spot, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter believes that Miller could end up as a potential trade candidate.
In his latest column, he wrote about 10 MLB players who could end up on the trade block, and Bobby Miller was one of them.
“The 25-year-old looked like a rising star at this time a year ago, fresh off a rookie season where he finished 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 119 strikeouts in 124.1 innings while showcasing top-of-the-rotation potential,” Reuter wrote.
“His fastball velocity (99.1 to 97.6 mpg) and spin rate (2,350 to 2,297 rpm) both moved in the wrong direction last year, and he ended up struggling to an 8.52 ERA over 56 innings while making three separate trips back to the minors.”
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“The Dodgers do not have the luxury of allowing him to work through his issues at the MLB level while chasing another World Series title, but he could be a great reclamation project for a rebuilding club.”
While Miller is still very young and could end up being a really solid pitcher, the Dodgers have so much depth (at the moment) that it could do them well to trade him to a franchise that has the time to let him grow through the kinks at the big league level.
As it stands the Dodgers starting five is:
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Roki Sasaki
- Blake Snell
- Tyler Glasnow
- Dustin May
They will also be getting back Tony Gonsolin and have Landon Knack on the roster. Oh, and that guy named Shohei Ohtani will eventually be inserted into the starting rotation.
We have a long way to go before the trade deadline, but it will be interesting to see how things work out with Bobby Miller.