New Brewers leader of baseball operations Matt Arnold is continuing to make trades. This time he has acquired Owen Miller in a trade with the Guardians. As a result Mario Feliciano was designated for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster. The Brewers are giving up a player to be named later in order to acquire Miller.
Who is Owen Miller? Where will he fit on the Brewers roster?
Miller is a 26-year-old right-handed infielder who played high-school baseball at Ozaukee High School in Wisconsin. He appeared in 80 games at first base last year for the Guardians, 25 at second base, 22 as the designated hitter and four at third base. Throughout 190 career major league games, he has a .231/.283/.338 slash line with a 77 OPS+.
Aside from defensive versatility, one good thing about Miller is that he has two minor league options remaining. He has just one full year of MLB service time and won’t be arbitration eligible until 2025. Additionally, he won’t be a free agent until 2028.
Last year the Brewers used Keston Hiura as a right-handed platoon option with Rowdy Tellez at first base. Gut instinct says that Miller could be used in a similar role as well. Miller’s role likely won’t be a true platoon, but more so of a backup first base role/infield depth.
As for Hiura, this trade all but signals that the Brewers may be moving on from him this offseason. Hiura is out of minor league options and did not excel in the platoon role last season. The Brewers have been unable to figure out a role for him and now it appears that Miller will serve in the role that he had last season.
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