Phillies add the best shortstop in the American League*

Moving to shore up the bench a little bit, a bench that has done virtually nothing at all, the Phillies made a small trade on Thursday, getting utility guy Brad Miller from the Yankees farm system.

It doesn’t amount to much, really, since Miller will only serve as depth anyway, but when you consider who he will be replacing, it makes a little more sense to get someone of his track record.

Neither Phil Gosselin nor Sean Rodriguez has does anything this season that would cause them to declare they’re better than Miller (other than the obvious local connection to prep schools), so this is an upgrade of some sorts.

Miller’s best season came in 2016 with Tampa Bay when he hit .243/.304/.482 with 30 home runs in regular playing time at shortstop and first base, with a dash of left field sprinkled in there, but he hasn’t come close to those numbers since. For his career, he’s a .240/.313/.409 hitter, good for a very average 100 OPS+. The fact that he can capably play several positions defensively is surely what made this deal make sense, as with Scott Kingery basically taking over centerfield, the team doesn’t really have anyone who can play shortstop in case of a Jean Segura injury.

It’s a move that won’t light the world on fire, but in conjunction with other anticipated moves, makes a whole lot more sense.

Miller and Quinn (standard “if he stays healthy” caveat) are upgrades over Rodriguez/Gosselin and Nick Williams. I’d even look for Williams to be traded in the very near future, especially now that Miller is in the fold.

Of course, if you believe certain former Fangraphs analysts, this move could be a boon.

I know it’s from 2014, but man - I really don’t like that guy. Go Phillies!