Andrew Miller, who spent his winter as one of the players' union's top representatives in helping negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the owners, announced his retirement from the major leagues. Jesse Rogers confirmed that the news was reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
He spent the past three seasons with the Cards and was a free agent. He appeared in 40 games in 2021.
The sixth overall pick by the Tigers in 2006 out of the University of North Carolina, Miller and Maybin were the top prospects acquired when the Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera to Detroit after the 2007 season. The Yankees signed the left-handed pitcher to a lucrative free-agent contract in 2015, after he was viewed as a failed top prospect and struggled as a starter with the Marlins.
He saved 36 games that year but was traded to Cleveland in 2016 where he made his biggest impact during a two-year run during which he was arguably the game's top relief pitcher. The Indians reached the World Series in 2016 with one of the best postseason stretches ever seen from a relief pitcher. In the ALCS, he was used for multiple-innings at any time by Terry Francona, and he was the ALCS' Most Valuable Player, as he allowed no runs with 14 strikeouts in five games. Miller and Dibble are the only non-closers to win a postseason award.
Miller picked up a hold and a win as Cleveland took the early lead over the Cubs in the World Series, but the Cubs finally got to him in Game 7 when they scored two runs off him, including a David Ross home run. Miller finished the playoffs with a record for strikeouts in a relief role, with 30. Miller played in the All-Star Game for the second year in a row. He went 14-4 with 14 saves and a 1.45 earned run average over the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and he struck out 218 batters in 137 appearances.
There is no better feeling in the world than having success in the playoffs, Miller wrote in a text to the Post-Dispatch.
He had trouble staying healthy after that two-year run.
He told Peter Gammons that he was old after the new labor deal was struck.
Miller had been a union rep while with the Marlins, and was known as one of the smartest and most personable players in the game. The two players who were leading the talks were Miller and Scherzer, but they were not the only ones who voted against the agreement. Player representatives from each team voted to approve the offer.
Miller told Rogers that talks got heated when the negotiations were still going on.
It can get hot because we are passionate about this. He said that he was passionate about finding a way to address the issues and that he was passionate about the sport. We are talking, but ultimately we are meeting. Sometimes it is prettier than others.
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