Baltimore Orioles: Did the market on Andrew Miller go up?

Yesterday the ChiSox signed reliever Zach Duke to a three-year $15 million contract. That’s a decent chunk of change for a guy like Duke, who at 31 is somewhat of a journeyman. The question at hand of course is how that affects the Baltimore Orioles. Specifically, will the Duke deal drive up the price for free agent Andrew Miller?

I would submit that any movement in a market involving relief pitchers can have an affect. Similar to offensive lineman in the NFL, relievers can be dime a dozen. However when a really special one comes along, we all know what a difference that can make. Miller for sure is one that could be classified as special in a sense. Thus it’s not overly surprising that he’s at a premium. However the question is how much will Miller end up costing, and whether or not the Orioles would be willing to pay that?

Courtesy of H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Time will tell. However it’s going to be tough knowing how much of a premium services like those of Miller’s can be. A guy like him can make the back end of one’s bullpen. However from the perspective of the Orioles, losing a guy like him could break the back end of one’s bullpen. The last thing that anyone wants is for the Orioles to end up with a shaky bullpen in 2015. Unfortunately however it’s not as simple as just saying do you want to be good or not? We’re not talking about a guy who could be had on a minor leaguer’s salary.

Thus the O’s have to just commit to playing the game. But with a reliever like Duke getting the money that he got yesterday, odds are the price on Miller just became more of a premium one.