The Diamondbacks continue to add minor league signings to their bullpen. The most recent is a name infamous acquisitions in organization history. Robert Murray of FanSided reports that the team has come to a minor league agreement with free agent pitcher Shelby Miller with an invite to Spring Training..
Free-agent pitcher Shelby Miller in agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a minor-league contract, sources say. The deal includes an invite to spring training.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 16, 2025
This will be Miller's second stint in Arizona. Acquried in the ill-fated trade in December 2015 for former No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson, pitching prospect Aaron Blair, and young outfielder Ender Inciarte, the Diamondbacks were hoping to build a 1-2 punch behind Zack Greinke at the time. Instead, Miller pitched to a 6.35 ERA in 28 starts and missed time to Tommy John surgery in 2017. By the time he left after the following season, it proved to be one of the worst trades in franchise history.
After struggling over the next half-decade, he's resurfaced as a useful reliever the past two seasons. Most notably he had a 1.71 ERA and a 25.8% strikeout rate, which parlayed into a role with the Tigers. With Detroit, he pitched to a 4.53 ERA/4.48 FIP in 52.2 innings.
At the current stage of his career, he is very reliant on a high-ride four-seam fastball, which averaged 18" of induced vertical break according to Statcast. The fastball generated a run value of +9. One area of improvement will be with the secondary stuff. He utilizes a slider and a split-finger fastball a healthy amount to play off his fastball.
Miller's future may be unclear, but he'll be one of many arms competing for a bullpen role. The hope is if he makes the team that it will go better than the first time around.