Wade Miley, Astros agree to $4.5 million, 1-year deal

HOUSTON – The Astros filled an opening in their rotation, agreeing to a $4.5 million, one-year contract with 32-year-old left-hander Wade Miley.

Miley could earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses under the deal announced Friday.

He said he is happy to join an Astros team with a solid roster built to chase another World Series title.

“I mean that’s what we play for right? I got a little taste of it last year. Obviously, this is a championship team, a championship caliber ball club,” Miley said.

Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole head a rotation also projected to include Collin McHugh and possibly Brad Peacock.

Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow said he feels like the addition of Miley adds much-needed depth to the Astros rotation.

“We have several options for the back end of the rotation but, to bring someone in who has an established track record who we feel confident can go out there and get the outs we need to get in a tough American league. For us, that was a priority and we were able to get it done,” Luhnow said.

Manager A.J. Hinch and Miley have a relationship that dates back to when Hinch was the farm director in Arizona. 

“He’s always been super competitive. When you play against him you see that,” Hinch said. 

Dallas Keuchel became a free agent after the World Series and remains unsigned.

Miley was 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 16 starts and 80 2/3 innings for the Milwaukee Brewers last year.

He agreed to a minor league contract in mid-February, made three starts at Double-A Biloxi, then joined the Brewers in early May. He went on the disabled list with a strained oblique after just two starts and did not return to the Brewers until July 12.

Miley had a 1.23 ERA in four postseason starts - in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series, he walked leadoff batter Cody Bellinger, then was replaced by right-hander Brandon Woodruff in an unusual strategy employed by Brewers manager Craig Counsell.

Miley earned $2,743,011 last year, which included a prorated share of his $2.5 million salary and $700,000 in performance bonuses based on innings and starts.

An eight-year major league veteran who was an All-Star in 2012, Miley is 71-76 with a 4.26 ERA. He also has pitched for Arizona (2011-14), Boston (2015), Seattle (2016) and Baltimore (2016-17).