Wade Miley, Brewers Reportedly Nearing Another Reunion

[Matthew Trueblood]

It's no Billy Martin and the Yankees, but the Brewers and their wiliest southpaw keep finding ways back to one another. The 2024 starting rotation might be getting just a little bit deeper.

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

In his late-night Saturday notes piece, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic dropped in an interesting final item. It sounds like we should expect Wade Miley and the Brewers to get back together, again. Sunday morning, Jon Heyman confirmed that something is (ahem) brewing there. 

Brewers are pursuing a reunion with Wade Miley, who was 9-4 with a 3.14 ERA @Ken_Rosenthal 1st mentioned

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2023

Miley turned 37 in mid-November. He's only pitched 157 innings since the start of 2022, and only has two full, uninterrupted seasons in the last six. There's a genuine, mutual affection between Miley and the Brewers, though, including both Chris Hook and Pat Murphy. These two parties are good for each other, and now, they get a chance to sustain and deepen their relationship.

In light of the fact that Miley turned down his side of a $10-million option for 2024 last month, you could view this as a surprising development. It was a mild surprise that he turned that down in the first place, given the injury trouble he had in 2023 and his age, so it felt like maybe he was ready for the next step. Perhaps, though, this deal will give Miley some guarantees in 2025, and he'll therefore turn out to have made a savvy decision by stepping away (however briefly). It's also possible, especially given the way he was talking about his shoulder near the end of the season, that he needed a bit of recovery time to determine whether he could (or even wanted to) continue to pitch.

Whatever the cause for the temporary split, this reunion should benefit both sides. The Brewers get back a clubhouse favorite and a starter who's very effective when he takes the mound. Miley gets the comfort of a familiar environment and a setting in which he doesn't figure to be depended upon more heavily than his health or skill set can bear. If Corbin Burnes is traded this offseason, Miley will become the unquestioned veteran leader of the starting staff, but with Freddy Peralta, Adrian Houser, Colin Rea, Robert Gasser, Aaron Ashby, Bryse Wilson, and a couple of highly-touted prospects around, the team can cover for him when he's out of commission.

Obviously, this isn't yet official. Nor is it, necessarily, the last addition the team could make to the starting-capable corps. Mid-rotation quality at sixth starter quantity is valuable, though, and Miley gives them that cocktail of upside and flexibility. If the team goes with a six-man rotation in order to keep hurlers fresher in 2024, Miley would be an especially good fit.

Until we know the exact terms of the deal and the complementary moves that happen (or don't) in conjunction with it, it's hard to analyze this much further. On its own, though, how do you feel about Miley's return? Does this give you any greater clarity about the team's offseason direction? Join the conversation below.

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[Harold Hutchison]

If Miley returns, it could mean a five-man rotation of Burnes, Peralta, Miley, Houser, and Rea... if the Crew brings back a couple of minor-league free agents (Boushley comes to mind right away), add Junk, McKendry, 

Gasser, Rodriguez, and Misiorowski stay in the minors a bit... then come up in the bullpen (see the Burnes/Woodruff promotions in 2018).

[RedStickBrew]

[jay87shot]

Nice, not sure if this makes a Burnes trade more or less likely but this would be solid on a 1 or 2 year deal.

[Joseph Zarr]

[Brock Beauchamp]

A reunion makes a ton of sense for both parties. 

[Rick Daltons Flamethrower]

I am a big fan of Wade Miley. His pitching and his leadership will have a great impact this year on a very young Brewers squad. Gives the starting rotation more juice and the clubhouse more life and wisdom. Win Win for Miley and the Brew Crew. Glad to have the Master Brewer back!

[Trax]

Big like.