After spending 2019 with the Houston Astros, Wade Miley has found a new home. According to reports, he has agreed to a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds that will pay him $15 million.
Free-agent left-hander Wade Miley in agreement with #Reds on two-year, $15M contract, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic. Deal will reunite him with his former pitching coach in Milwaukee, Derek Johnson.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 17, 2019
Personal History
Wade Miley pitched 167.1 innings pitched with a 3.98 ERA in 2019. He struck out 7.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Miley started off the season well, but imploded in September, which inflated his overall numbers.
By month, his ERA never soared as higher than 3.76 from March/April through August. That includes a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings pitched across five July starts. That being said, his ERA in September/October sat at 16.68 in 11.1 innings pitched.
Miley will be helped by reuniting with his former pitching coach, Derek Johnson. Johnson was Miley’s pitching coach in 2018 while playing with the Milwaukee Brewers, and he enjoyed success in a sample size of 80.2 innings pitched. That season, he pitched to a 2.57 ERA and a 1.215 WHIP. He capped off that season by allowing two earned runs in 14.2 innings pitched in the postseason as the Brewers went to the Game 7 of the NLCS.
The reunion with Johnson should pay dividends for Miley just as did for Sonny Gray in 2019. Gray played for Johnson at Vanderbilt University.
Gray was an All-Star in 2019 during his first season reunited with Johnson. He finished with a 2.87 ERA and a WHIP of 1.084 after posting a 4.90 ERA 1.496 WHIP in 2018 with the New York Yankees.
Reds Rotation
Although the Reds finished 2019 75-87, they have a clear strength in their starting rotation that will help them contend throughout 2020. Miley is a great fit for this team because he can provide depth to a staff that features Luis Castillo, Gray, and Trevor Bauer. He will slide into the back of the rotation with Anthony DeSclafani.
The Reds finished with the 8th best ERA in MLB. Although Bauer struggled upon being acquired at the trade deadline, that was largely thanks in part to their starting rotation. Miley looks to be a great addition for depth to a team that hopes to finish above .500 for the first time since 2013.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
