The Chicago Cubs had hoped that the one-time first-round pick of its arch-rival would pan out as a reliever.
A former Chicago Cubs has found a new home with the Detroit Tigers.
Shelby Miller, who spent part of the 2021 season with the Cubs, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Tigers, the team announced on Friday.
The Tigers will also hold an option on Miller for 2025 worth $4.25 million. To make room for Miller on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated catcher Donny Sands for assignment.
Miller was with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season and, oddly enough, wore the same number as their newest free-agent acquisition, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Miller’s time in Chicago was short. He signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs in January of 2021 and they called him up to the Majors on April 14.
He took the mound three times with the Cubs and gave up seven earned run and recorded just six outs, giving him a 31.50 ERA.
Shortly after he went on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain.
While on an injury rehab assignment with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, he pitched the first three innings of a combined no-hitter against Indianapolis on May 9. But that wasn’t enough for the Cubs to keep him.
After the Cubs designated him for assignment and he was released, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization to finish out the 2021 season. In 2022 he was with the New York Yankees’ organization and with the San Francisco Giants, where he earned a promotion to the Majors late in the year.
With the Dodgers last season he recorded his first career save and pitched in 36 games with a 3–0 record and 1.71 ERA. He missed more than a month due to a neck injury.
Miller was the St. Louis Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2009 and he made his MLB debut in 2012. He earned his only All-Star Game nod in 2015 as a starter, even though he finished the season with an MLB-high 17 losses (6-17) with a 3.02 ERA.
Since he had Tommy John surgery in 2017, he hasn’t regained the form that made him a starter and he has worked primarily as a reliever. He is 41-58 with a 4.08 ERA in his career with eight different teams.