Why Did The Guardians Trade Owen Miller?

The Cleveland Guardians traded Owen Miller to the Milwaukee Brewers. The trade came down to positional depth and roster space for Cleveland.

The Owen Miller saga in Cleveland is officially over. The team traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in exchange for a player to be named later.

Why would the Guardians decide to move on from a player such as Miller? Let's take a look at the situation.

To start off, Miller was quite underwhelming in 2022. He started off the season batting .400 with an OPS of 1.166 in March and April, but it was only downhill from there.

Miller stayed in the lineup primarily as a backup first baseman. This was a position that the Guardians were severely undermanned at during the year and he was able to provide the team with some sort of stability when Josh Naylor wasn't playing.

For someone learning the position on the fly, Miller could've been a much worse first baseman. But there were still plenty of times that the holes in his game were more than obvious. 

Aug 9, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Owen Miller (6) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Now with the Guardians signing Josh Bell, they don't need another first baseman.

Another big reason for the Miller trade has to do with the 40-man roster. When Cleveland officially signed Bell earlier this week, he brought the roster to 40 total players, and no more room left on the roster if the team wanted to make any more moves.

Then on Tuesday reports indicated that Cleveland plan to sign veteran catcher Mike Zunino. However, that contract has not been made official by the team yet. Before they do so, someone needed to be taken off the roster to make room. Hence the Owen Miller trade.

This is also why the Guardians didn't get a player in return for the infielder. If they would have gotten a player back from the Brewers, they would have needed to be added to the 40-man.

Now with the roster at 39 players, the Guardians can officially go ahead with signing Zunino bringing the roster back to 40 players.

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Read More:

Guardians Make Trade With Brewers

Here's What Skillsets Mike Zunino Brings To The Guardians

Guardians Set To Sign Free Agent Catcher Mike Zunino

This Is What Josh Bell Had To Say After Signing Contract With The Guardians

Former Cleveland Pitcher Signs With Angels

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