Detroit Tigers sign right-handed reliever Shelby Miller to 1-year contract

The Detroit Tigers have signed right-handed reliever Shelby Miller to a one-year contract with an option for the 2025 season, according to a source with knowledge of the agreement.

The deal is pending a physical exam.

The Tigers have not confirmed the signing, but Miller — an 11-year MLB veteran who has pitched out of the bullpen for the past three seasons — is taking his physical on Friday in Detroit, so the deal should be official in the near future.

The Tigers need to create space on the full 40-man roster before adding Miller.

JACK ATTACK: Jack Flaherty had a 4.99 ERA last season. Tigers have a plan to fix him in 2024

Miller, 33, posted a 1.71 ERA with 19 walks (11.7% walk rate) and 42 strikeouts (25.8% strikeout rate) over 42 innings in 36 relief appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, plus two scoreless innings with zero walks and three strikeouts in the National League Division Series.

He primarily pitched in low-leverage situations.

Miller threw three pitches: 93.5 mph four-seam fastball, 85.6 mph splitter and 82.1 mph slider. The splitter, new to his repertoire, generated a 30.7% whiff rate. Opponents hit .136 with a .250 slugging percentage against it.

His four-seam fastball improved significantly in 2021 when he lowered his release point and captured more ride. The fastball continued to produce positive results over the past two seasons.

His extension ranked in the 97th percentile in 2023.

Miller spent more than two months on the injured list last season, from June 21 until Aug. 31, with neck pain. An MRI showed a herniated disk in his neck that was pressing on a nerve. It marked his first time on the injured list since the 2021 season.

Miller joins a bullpen that's anchored by right-hander Alex Lange, righty Jason Foley, left-hander Andrew Chafin, righty Will Vest and lefty Tyler Holton. The Tigers appear to have two spots up for grabs in the bullpen heading into spring training.

Miller has pitched 11 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals (2012-14), Atlanta Braves (2015), Arizona Diamondbacks (2016-18), Texas Rangers (2019), Chicago Cubs (2021), Pittsburgh Pirates (2021), Giants (2022) and Dodgers (2023). He opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miller was an All-Star in the 2015 season with the Braves. That year, he registered a 3.02 ERA with 73 walks and 171 strikeouts across 205⅓ innings in 33 starts. By July 2016, Miller was demoted to Triple-A Reno in the Diamondbacks' organization.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple,Spotify) ]

He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2017, returned from elbow surgery in June 2018 and was released for the first time by the Rangers in July 2019.

After falling off as a starter, Miller has pitched in just 61⅔ innings in the big leagues over the past three seasons. Most of his time has been spent putting the pieces back together as a reliever at the Triple-A level.

The San Francisco Giants — with Harris as the general manager — signed Miller to a minor-league contract ahead of the 2022 season.

Miller owns a 4.08 ERA with a 9.4% walk rate and 19.5% strikeout rate in his MLB career, spanning 820 innings in 203 games.

The Tigers have acquired five players this offseason, all prior to Christmas Day: outfielder Mark Canha, right-hander Kenta Maeda and right-hander Jack Flaherty, plus Chafin and Miller as newcomers in the bullpen.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign reliever Shelby Miller to 1-year contract