Lefty Miller returns to Rays

Posted Feb 6, 2008 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Feb 6, 2008 at 01:08 PM

Left-handed reliever Trever Miller has agreed to a one-year major-league contract with the Rays that includes a team option for 2009, he said today. The deal is expected to become official later today or tomorrow, once the final results from the physical Miller took Tuesday come in. Miller, 34, will be paid $1.6 million this season as he steps into the last vacant spot on the Rays’ 40-man roster. The team option for next year is for $2 million, or the Rays could pay Miller a $400,000 buyout.

Miller worked out at the Naimoli Complex today and said afterward that he’s excited to be back for his second tour of duty with the Rays. He made 121 appearances for Tampa Bay in 2004 and 2005. He makes his year-round home in Land O’ Lakes and his wife, Pari, is originally from the area.

“We were thrilled when Andrew [Friedman] invited us to lunch and told us they were very interested in us becoming Rays again,” said Miller. “We were very open to the idea. The process took a lot longer than I thought it would and it got a little frustrating at times, but we hung in there. We’ve learned to be patient, and when you are, good things happen.”

Miller has pitched for the Astros the last two seasons, compiling a 4.86 ERA in 76 relief appearances last year. A former first-round pick of the Tigers, he has a 4.46 career ERA in 451 big-league appearances, all but five of them in relief.

Miller will become the lefty specialist the Rays have lacked. Left-handed batters hit .209 and posted a .653 OPS against him last season, while right-handed batters hit .289 with a .902 OPS. He knows the situational role well, and he’s looking forward to bouncing back with a strong season.

“It’s going to be good for everyone as long as I do my job on the field, and I plan to do it,” he said. “I’ve been training all year to do that and I don’t see any reason why that won’t happen.”