Red Sox land Giants closer Erik Miller in trade

The Red Sox sure are burning a lot of talent here. Miller is quite good and under control for three years after this one, but giving up a long-term regular for a left-handed reliever is quite a loss of value. Mayer is currently on the shelf with an arm injury and might not be much of a factor this year, but he should be the Giants’ second baseman next year and he remains very much an option at short if the club could find a taker for Willy Adames. Miller’s fantasy value disappears with the deal, since he won’t be a candidate for saves in Boston. With the Giants shedding both he and Caleb Kilian, Dylan Smith is probably their favorite for saves at the moment.

Kilian missed all of last season with a labrum strain, and he returned this season as a full-time reliever. He has posted a 4.26 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 53/20 K/BB ratio in 44 1/3 innings for the Giants. He’s been mostly better than those numbers would indicate, but a few bad appearances have dragged the surface-level stats down. He’s an interesting add for the middle of the Phillies’ bullpen. Erik Miller will likely continue to get the save chances in San Francisco.

Caleb Kilian and Dylan Smith set him up with scoreless frames, with Smith getting the hardest assignment of the trio against the top of the order in the eighth. Not that he’s especially likely to be moved, but Miller is adding to his trade value with his late-inning success. This makes eight straight appearances in which he’s entered in the eighth or the ninth, and he’s thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts during the span.

Even though he’s walked 22 in 31 1/3 innings, Miller is pretty clearly manager Tony Vitello’s most trusted reliever at the moment. That doesn’t mean he’ll get all of the save chances, since it will make sense to play matchups with him at time. Still, he’s probably a better use of a roster spot than Caleb Kilian in fantasy leagues right now.

Miller replaced Keaton Winn in a tie game in the eighth and remained in after the Giants scored twice in the bottom of the inning, as Caleb Kilian was left in the pen after blowing his last save chance on Friday. Miller gave up a leadoff single, but he retired three in a row afterwards, winning an 11-pitch battle with Cole Carrigg to end the game. Miller could be a possibility to pick up some saves after the break. He could also be a candidate to be traded if the Giants decide to sell, but since he’s not going to be a free agent until after 2029, the team would demand a significant return.

Erik Miller and Caleb Kilian combined to turn a five-run lead into a two-run lead in the eighth, setting up the save chance for Gage in the ninth. Gage wound up retiring all three batters he faced for an easy save in a two-run game. Kilian, Miller and Keaton Winn are probably all still ahead of him in line for saves in San Francisco.

Miller returns after missing just the minimum 15 days while dealing with a lower back strain. The 28-year-old should be a mid-to-late inning option for the Giants now that he’s healthy enough to operate in said role.

Miller was just placed on the injured list on Monday with a lower back strain, but he is already throwing and will be out on a rehab assignment quickly. He should return to the Giants when first eligible next week, which may put a little bit of a damper on the excitement about Caleb Kilian in fantasy leagues. Those two could share saves as part of a committee in San Francisco.

Miller hits the shelf after recording a pair of saves to go along with a strong 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 17/6 K/BB ratio across 11 1/3 innings this season. The 28-year-old southpaw doesn’t figure to miss a ton of time, but back issues can be complicated, and often recurring, matters to deal with.

Miller got the final four outs to procure his second save of the season. He picked up a strikeout while throwing 7-of-12 pitches for strikes, and he didn’t allow a hit or walk. It’s feasible that Miller will see more save chances down the road, but there are zero guarantees with this Giants’ bullpen right now.