The Cardinals inked left handed reliever to a two year contract on December 21.

Miller has split his 13 season career between six different ball clubs. A majority of his career has been spent with the Red Sox, as he was with them for four years. Statistically, he ranks in the top three among relievers in every major pitching statistic.

“Andrew Miller has been on a lot of teams. Hopefully, the Cardinals can still get some innings out of him,” junior Blake Haffer said.

In the past couple seasons, Miller’s numbers have eroded. Last season he put up a 4.24 ERA in 34 innings. Those numbers may not tell the full story, however. At 33, the reliever dealt with a plethora of injuries last season, including a shoulder impingement and a leg issue that kept him sidelined for months.

“He had to overcome lots of injuries in 2018. I think that is what caused his numbers being bad,” junior Jacob Justice said.

Andrew Miller’s deal is for two years, $24 million. There is a vesting option as well, which will give him a third year if he reaches 110 combined appearances between 2019-20. The Cardinals give themselves some insurance with the vesting option, saving themselves from holding onto Miller for too long if he does prove to be injury prone. Even if he does reach the 110 game benchmark, the Cardinals can buy out his contract for $2.5 million.

“This deal was a no brainer… to put the Cardinals on top,” junior Sophia Giltner said.

Miller will look to be the closer on a Cardinals team that ranked in the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA in 2018.