Cubs News: Familiar face returns to address bullpen woes with trade for Tyson Miller

Help is on the way for the Chicago Cubs' bullpen.

Jordan Campbell

Atlanta Braves v Seattle Mariners / Steph Chambers/GettyImages

The Chicago Cubs have made the much-discussed trade for bullpen help as the team acquired right-handed relief pitcher Tyson Miller from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Triple-A infielder Jake Slaughter.

Trade news: The Chicago Cubs are acquiring right-handed reliever Tyson Miller from the Seattle Mariners for infielder Jake Slaughter, sources tell ESPN.

Miller was recently DFA’d and will join the Cubs in the big leagues. He has been good: 3.09 ERA, 12-to-1 K-to-BB in 11.2 IP.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 14, 2024

Interestingly enough, Miller's Major League career began with the Cubs as he appeared in 2 games with the team during the 2020 season. Miller was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Cubs' prospect insider for Bleacher Nation, Byran Smith, highlighted the improvements that Miller has made since last being a part of the Cubs' organization.

Two big differences since we last saw Tyson:

1) the old tight/gyro slider replaced by a baby sweeper

2) the already-strengths in terms of his release point (low vertical, big extension) have been even further exaggerated.

Has helped miss bats in 2024, which was previous issue.
— Cubs Prospects - Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) May 14, 2024

Miller was finding success out of the Mariners' bullpen to begin the season. Miller has posted a 3.09 ERA through 9 appearances this season. Miller has shown an ability to miss bats this season with a strikeout percentage of 26.7%.

The Cubs take the first step in addressing bullpen woes with trade for Tyson Miller.

The Cubs had to do something in order to bring stability to their bullpen. With Yency Almonte and Julian Merryweather on the IL, the Cubs were down to only Mark Leiter Jr. in terms of the only high-leverage reliever that could be trusted. Hector Neris' nickname of "Heart Attack Hector" speaks to the inconsistencies the veteran has had this season despite converting 6 of his 7 save opportunities.

A natural question that fans may have is why the Cubs would give up a power-hitting prospect in Slaughter for a reliever who was just designated for assignment. Before answering the question, it's important to distinguish that Miller was designated for assignment due to a crunch on the Mariners' 40-man roster and it's likely that he was generating interest from other teams. In addition, trading Slaughter, who was blocked at the Major League level, in order to address a need at the Major League level is exactly the type of move that the Cubs will need to make in order to remain at the top of the National League Central.

Jordan Campbell

For nearly 15 years, Jordan has been a workhorse across the FanSided network - including being the inaugural site expert for Cubbies Crib, as well as a stop at Da Windy City as the site expert. In addition to returning to be a Co-Site Expert at Cubbies Crib, Jordan was previously the Site Expert at Bear Goggles On. In the years since, Jordan has joined FanSided's full-time team, serving as a staff writer for the MLB division. Jordan's work can be seen across the MLB division, including a consistent presence on our Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Tigers sites. Since 2010, Jordan has dedicated his craft to providing insightful commentary on all things Chicago sports, and he has enjoyed his venture into all things Major League Baseball.