Trade Central: Indians Acquire Miller For Frazier, Sheffield

THE DEAL

The Indians’ run for the American League pennant received a jolt Sunday morning, with Cleveland acquiring lefthanded relief ace Andrew Miller from the Yankees in exchange for four well-regarded minor leaguers: outfielder Clint Frazier, lefthanded pitcher Justus Sheffield, and righthanded pitchers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.

The Indians entered the day with the best record in the American League and strengthened a bullpen that ranked 10th in the majors with a 3.58 ERA by acquiring one the top relievers available at the deadline. The cost, however, was steep, with two Midseason Top 100 prospects and two promising bullpen arms heading to New York.

For the Yankees, it is their second major trade in a week after sending Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. They currently sit within striking distance of the second American League wild card spot, entering the day 4 1/2 games back, but are making moves for the future.

“This is a market, if interested, if you possess a high-talent closer, you could exploit this market pretty strongly if you were willing,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a conference call with reporters. “That was the dialogue, the hard discussions we were having. The return we could get would really bring back some exciting young talent that we think our fanbase over time will enjoy and help us get where we want to be in the future.”

YANKEES ACQUIRE
Clint Frazier, of
Age: 21

Frazier was the fifth overall pick in 2013 after being named BA’s High School Player of the Year and has largely lived up to those accolades, earning a Futures Game selection and reaching Triple-A in his third full season. He was ranked the game’s No. 21 prospect in BA’s Midseason Top 100 and the Indians’ No. 1 farmhand at midseason as well. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Logansville, Ga. native brings a tantazlizing power-speed combo with 47 homers and 43 stolen bases in his minor league career. His power is generated more by exceptional bad speed than raw strength, although he is well-cut in his frame. He is an above-average runner who played corner outfield with the Indians because of Bradley Zimmer’s presence, but is a natural center fielder who can play the position ably. If he needs to slide to a corner, his above-average arm allows him to handle right field, and he has used it to generate nine outfield assists this season.

“The bat speed is already legendary,” Cashman said. “He’s got all the tools – he can run, he can hit, he can hit with power, he can play all three outfield positions – he’s a very exciting, high-energy guy that shows up in a dirty uniform. That’s the exciting thing about his mentality. He’s a super-competitive guy.”

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Columbus (International)	AAA	.238	5	21	2	5	0	1	0	0	0	6	0	.238	.333
Akron (Eastern)	AA	.276	89	341	56	94	25	1	13	48	41	86	13	.356	.469

Justus Sheffield, lhp
Age: 20

The 5-foot-10, 196-pound southpaw has a bigger arm than his size would indicate, able to ramp up up his fastball to 96 mph and consistently throwing it a heavy 93-94. That fastball plus a devastating curveball and promising changeup helped him rank No. 69 in our Midseason Top 100 and No. 5 in a deep Indians organization. The 31st overall selection in 2014 has held his own at every level in his pro career despite being more than two years younger than league average at each stop. His command is still in need of refinement, but he projects as a No. 2 starter if everything comes together.

“Anybody who has seen him toe the rubber every five days, this is an electric lefthanded arm…and he is a competitor on that mound,” Cashman said. “Those two primaries (Sheffield and Frazier) are very exciting additions to this franchise. As long as they stay healthy as we move forward I think our fans have a chance to really bond with them.”

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Lynchburg (Carolina)	HiA	7	5	3.59	19	19	95.1	95	40	38	6	40	93

Ben Heller, rhp
Age: 24

In an organization loaded with arms, the 6-foot-3, 205 pound reliever was ranked as having the best fastball in the entire Indians system before this season. A 22nd-round selection out of NAIA Olivet Nazarene is 2013, Miller brings a 96-98 mph fastball that has reached 100 and and mixes a downhill angle with late life. That and a low-to-mid 80s slider have helped him post a 2.77 ERA and 11.8 strikeouts-per-nine innings rate in his career. He most recently had a 2.49 ERA with Triple-A Columbus and should be ready to help the Yankees bullpen soon, likely as a middle reliever at first with a chance to develop into a quality setup option.

“Heller is a high octane fastball,” Cashman said. “You have a chance to potentially see him up with our big league club at some point soon, whether it’s this year or next. He can be a potential setup guy.”

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	SV	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Columbus (International)	AAA	2	2	2.49	5	28	25.1	20	7	7	1	7	25
Akron (Eastern)	AA	1	0	0.55	7	15	16.1	3	1	1	1	5	23

J.P. Feyereisen, rhp
Age: 23

Feyereisen combined with Heller to give Double-A Akron a devastating bullpen combo earlier this season before Heller was promoted to Columbus. Feyereisen, a 6-foot-2, 215 pound Wisconsin native, did not allow a run for the first 31 innings of his pro career after being drafted in the 16th round in 2014 out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a stretch that lasted from the summer of 2014 after he was drafted into May 2015. He uses a 91-94 mph fastball and a low-to-mid 80s slider to do his damage, and has a 1.80 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts-per-nine rate to date while serving as the closer at every level of his pro career. He’s a bit behind Heller, but Feyereisen still projects as an arm in the Yankees bullpen of the future.

“Feyereisen is a guy were excited about,” Cashman said. “We’ve seen him up to 98. Really all the guys we acquired have huge arms or huge tools. We think they’re all going to be huge additions to our club.”

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	SV	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Akron (Eastern)	AA	4	3	2.23	5	33	40.1	30	12	10	3	20	56

INDIANS ACQUIRE
Andrew Miller, lhp
Age: 31

The No. 6 overall pick on the 2006 draft never panned out as a starter but has been one of the majors’ best relievers for the past five seasons. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound southpaw has a 2.21 ERA with 14.2 strikeouts-per-nine over the last five seasons and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. He showed he can close last year, recording 36 saves for the Yankees, and also be a dominant setup man when called upon. He relies primarily on a 94-96 mph fastball and 83-85 mph slider, both of which generate a high number of swings and misses and play against both righthanded hitters and lefties. He will team up with Cody Allen to give the Indians one of the top 1-2 combos at the back end of the bullpen as Cleveland pushes for a deep playoff run.

“It was hard because we had him under control for the next two years,” Cashman said. “It was extremely difficult and we needed an extreme return to complete and finalize a deal for him and that’s what we feel we got. There were a lot of discussions internally over a player that was difficult to move in Miller.”