Trever Miller, Cardinals still talking; Mike Parisi outrighted
TOWER GROVE — As the weekend arrived, the St. Louis Cardinals continued to work Friday on the details of the deal for lefthanded reliever Trever Miller while also keeping conversations open with other lefthanded relievers and free agents on the market.
Miller, 35, came to St. Louis on Thursday for a physical, a clear sign of the team’s and player’s mutual interest and what some baseball sources believed was a step toward finalizing a deal. The framework of a two-year deal was in place, pending a physical, multiple sources indicated this week. The Cardinals, at the same time, have other offers out and are engaged in other discussions with free agents. On Thursday night, general manager John Mozeliak said the two sides were still working on the “language” of the deal with Miller.
Both sides of the negotiations have declined comment while talks are ongoing.
The Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds had been two of the teams most eagerly courting Miller, an industry source said Wednesday evening. Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty confirmed to MLB.com on Friday the Reds interest in Miller, explaining: “We looked at Trever Miller and thought about it. But we didn’t want to go for the amount it was going to cost to have what is basically a situational left-hander.”
While negotiating the deal with Miller, the Cardinals remain in contact with agents for several other lefthanded relievers. They intend to add two lefty relievers from the free agent pool, having already acquired Charlie Manning via waivers and Ian Ostlund on a minor-league deal.
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The Cardinals outrighted starter Mike Parisi to Class AAA, reducing their number of players on the 40-man roster to 36. The righthander had Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow at the end of the season, and he will miss most of the 2009 season recovering from the repair. Parisi, a ninth-round pick in 2004, pitched in 10 games as a reliever and started two games for the Cardinals this past season, going 0-4 with a 8.22 ERA overall. In Triple-A Memphis’ starting rotation, Parisi went 8-2 record with a 3.86 ERA. Opponents hit .252 against him in the minors.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
I have an explanation. Trever Miller was born in Kentucky. With that, he might be into bow hunting. Hunting season just started a few days ago. Connect the dots!
For a “one out guy”, one would think they were dealing with Sabathia or Manny (selfish) Ramirez !!…..get the deal done and let Mo have his shining moment with the positive spin………
There are a few reasons why this deal has been delayed after speeding toward a physical Thursday, not that either side is talking publicly about it. To me, it seems odd that both sides would let the perception the physical was an issue linger, even as a faint whisper … That could hurt the impression of Miller on the open market — unless his rep doesn’t expect him to be on the open market much longer. Other reasons: Contract “language”, i.e. a clause the Cardinals are seeking that has to be OK’d by the major-league office or massaged to satisfy Miller’s side. (We saw something like this with Adam Wainwright’s extension.) Or, the Cardinals are working on a deal in the shadow of this one, looking to land two lefties before finalizing a deal for one.
When we know more, so will you.
dg
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Miller has won 14 and lost 14 with only 10 saves and an ERA over 4 in ten years on playing. Another great MO the MOUTH move. The Cubs and Brewers are freaking out and scared stiff over this one MO.
Mozeliak is looking for a LH specialist, and you are worried about his W/L record and Save totals? Are you kidding me? You care about his overall ERA? The only stats I care about on a guy like this are his BA vs. LHs and his ability to strand runners. None of those other stats matter. But, I guess some people just can’t help but take cheap shots at the front office at every opportunity.
Miller’s numbers vs. “the big name” Affeldt
Career BA vs. LH, .235 vs. .250
Career OPS vs. LH, .709 vs, .745
2008 BA vs. LH, .209 vs. .268
2008 OPS vs. LH, .612 vs. .745
If they can get him for similar or less money, then this is a very good signing for the Cardinals. I’m sorry he doesn’t have “the big name” to scare the Cubs and Brewers (a team w/o a pitching staff) for you, but get real. This signing will make the Cardinals a better team than they were with Randy Flores and Ron Villone as that guy. This was the biggest failure they had in 2008, and it is the most important need to address for 2009.