BOSTON—Three weeks ago,
Red Sox fans felt rock bottom with Wade Miley. One day removed from firing
pitching coach Juan Nieves, Miley gave up four runs on eight hits in a 7-0 loss
to the Blue Jays, bringing his record to 1-4 on the season and actually
lowering his ERA from 7.15 to 6.91.
“It’s always difficult to
go through when you go through a stretch like this,” said Miley after the loss
with Red Sox fans ready to strangle him from their homes.
Now fast forward three
starts.
On Sunday, Miley pitched
yet another great effort, giving up only four hits and one run in eight
innings, good enough for his third win and quality start in a row. Miley’s ERA
has dropped from 6.91 to 4.47 during this time as well.
Manager John Farrell
spoke about Miley’s recent success to reporters after the game on Sunday.
“He’s turned things
around personally this month, that’s pretty clear,” said Farrell. “He’s back to
a quick pace—but a comfortable one for him—and he’s commanding his pitches.”
After a terrible start,
Miley definitely has turned a corner.
But then there is Rubby
De La Rosa, the guy the Red Sox traded for Miley.
De La Rosa has pitched
well so far for the Diamondbacks. In nine starts, De La Rosa owns a 4-2 record
in 59 innings with a 4.27 ERA. He has 55 strikeouts and has given up 51 hits in
those starts.
“He locates the ball so
well,” said Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale about De La Rosa. “He’s got a
swing-and-miss changeup and then his breaking ball. His breaking ball, can be
really good.”
Although the two pitchers
have provided some success for their respective teams, can the Red Sox still justify
the trade at this point?
At this point of the
season, the statistics are pretty comparable. Miley has pitched 50 innings, De
La Rosa 59. Both has four wins, both have similar ERAs.
However, De La Rosa has a
better future ahead of him.
At 28 years old, Miley
has basically hit his peak. What Red Sox fans have seen so far will most likely
continue for the rest of the year and the remainder of the contract. Miley will
pitch sporadically, which will most likely lead to a decent record, innings
pitched, and an ERA somewhere in the 4.00 range.
De La Rosa has more
upside. At 26 years old, De La Rosa has more room to improve. He still hasn’t
had a full season in the major leagues and he is still developing his pitches.
This doesn’t even include
the contract status of each pitcher. The Red Sox owe Miley $3.6 million this
season, which spikes to $6.1 million the next year, $8.9 million the following
year, and then $12 million in the final year of the contract.
De La Rosa is owed
$516,000 this season while he still remains arbitration eligible. The earliest
he can hit free agency is the 2019 season.
Although both Miley and
De La Rosa has comparable statistics, the difference between the two is
potential. While Miley has little room to improve, De La Rosa has yet to even
hit stride. The Diamondbacks have more financial flexibility with De La Rosa
than the Red Sox have with Miley as well.
The comparison could be
apples to oranges. But I like the financial flexibility and potential that
comes with De La Rosa more than Miley.
