The New York Yankees had one of baseball's best bullpens in 2014, and even if they lose last year's closer David Robertson, they may remain near the top of the league. According to reports, the Yankees have shown great interest in left-hander Andrew Miller, and may be involved in talks with the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins about their closers.
Robertson, who recorded 39 saves for the Yankees in 2014 while posting a 3.08 ERA, turned down a $15.3 million qualifying offer that would've made him MLB's highest-paid reliever in 2015. An executive told CBS Sports that his move was prudent-he may actually have a three-year, $39 million deal on the table while other interested teams might go to four years.
The Yankees appear to have a ready-made replacement in-house; Dellin Betances posted a historic relief season, striking out 135 batters in 90 innings with a 1.40 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. He proved very valuable in longer stretches of work though, and the Yankees may be loathe to remove him from that fireman role.
That's why sources have said the Yankees are looking into adding Craig Kimbrel of the Braves or Steve Cishek of the Marlins via trade. Kimbrel had 47 saves in 2014 while Cishek matched Robertson's 39 saves.
ESPN's Buster Olney is also reported the Yankees are in competition to sign left-handed reliever Andrew Miller, who helped the Baltimore Orioles reach the ALCS after a trade deadline deal. Miller didn't close last season-he registered just one save-but he posted a 2.02 ERA for the Red Sox and Orioles along with a 14.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.82 WHIP.
The Yankees are in serious pursuit of left-hander Andrew Miller. Given the parties in the bidding, he'll likely wind up with a 4-year deal.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 1, 2014
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