ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals hope a healthy

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals hope a healthy Andrew Miller can help reverse their recent luck with new relievers.Coming off a series of injuries Matt Adams Jersey , Miller got a two-year deal with the Cardinals last month. Recent relief signings haven’t worked out too well for St. Louis — Brett Cecil, Luke Gregerson and Greg Holland weren’t able to replicate their past success.At the annual Cardinals Winter Warm Up on Saturday, team President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said he was enthused about Miller.“He wants the ball,” Mozeliak said. “One of our stated goals this offseason was to improve our bullpen. Andrew Miller is one of the premier relievers in the major leagues, and his addition certainly strengthens our bullpen.“He has pitched on the biggest stages in the world. He has pitched at an elite level. His character, his competitiveness and his leadership. All of this has led us to pursuing him this offseason,” he said.Miller, a veteran of 13 seasons in the majors, has been one of baseball’s best left-handed relievers since converting to the role with Boston in 2012. He twice finished among the top 10 in American League Cy Young balloting while with the Yankees and Indians.Being the closer is not something Miller is expecting or seeking this season with St. Louis. He said he can pitch anywhere and doesn’t mind that role.“One thing that makes him unique among most relievers is that he doesn’t care where he pitches,” Mozeliak said. “He wants to pitch high leverage and when it matters the most whether it’s in the fourth inning, the seventh inning or the ninth.”Miller agreed. He believes the whole bullpen should be that way.“Hopefully as a group, that’s what we can kind of bring that to the table. We can be flexible as group and do whatever it takes to win,” Miller said. “That’s the mentality that we have.”The Cardinals don’t have a clear closer at this point. Hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks, who frequently tops 100 mph with his fastball, looms large as an option. Miller can do the job as well.Miller pointed out there’s no designated setup man or closer in the minor leagues. Relievers learned that coming up http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , Miller said, and should bring that mindset to the big leagues.“There’s value in knowing what inning you pitch, but I don’t think you need rigid structure roles,” Miller said. “Hopefully, we give him (manager Mike Shildt) a ton of flexibility. In an ideal world, there’s seven guys out there than can pitch to lefties or righties and can pitch early in the game or late in the game. Ideally, that’s what we give him.”Miller was a key member of the Cleveland bullpen in 2016 when it advanced to the World Series. He was voted the MVP of the AL Championship Series that year, striking out 14 in 7 2-3 innings.He was an All-Star in 2017. But he saw his ERA climb to 4.24 in 2018 with the Indians while battling hamstring, knee and shoulder issues that required three stints on the disabled list.The 33-year-old Miller is coming off a season in which he was limited to 34 innings in 37 appearances because of those injuries.The Cardinals are confident Miller is fine. Those health issues were resolved and St. Louis aggressively moved in the offseason to sign Miller.“Given the time he missed and our due diligence on his medical, we felt confident he was going to be the Andrew Miller of two years ago and not the Andrew Miller of last year,” Mozeliak said. “He’s also someone who wants to compete for a winning club. He had other places to go. I think he was excited to compete in our division because of the teams and the lineups we face.”For his part, Miller said he is good to go.“I feel great,” Miller said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work. It was a frustrating there for a while finding a plan but I feel great. I’m ready to go.”The Cardinals went 88-74 last year and missed the playoffs for the third straight season.Miller, who pitched for the Marlins in 2008-10 — mostly as a starter — said coming back to the National League won’t be a big deal.“Honestly, the two leagues are probably more similar now than they’ve ever been http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joaquin-benoit-jersey ,” Miller said. “For me as a reliever, it’s just about getting a guy out. It’s a lot of new faces and that’s always a challenge. As I’ve gotten older and have more experience and that works in my favor. I’m looking forward to it. Certainly this division, on paper, is pretty darn good.”Hitting is not something Miller expects to do in the National League.“I’ve got to bat, we’ve got big problems,” Miller laughed. “I’m not much of a hitter. I don’t expect that to be any positive contribution to the team.” PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired two-time All-Star shortstop Jean Segura from the Seattle Mariners for veteran slugger Carlos Santana and infielder J.P. Crawford on Monday.The Phillies also get left-hander James Pazos and righty Juan Nicasio in the trade.“Shortstop was an area we didn’t get a lot of production,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. “Segura moves the needle for us as far as win expectancy.”Segura hit .304 with 10 homers, 63 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and had a .341 on-base percentage last season. He is signed through 2022 and is owed $60 million. He also got a $1 million bonus for approving the deal.It was the second major deal of the day for the Mariners. They also sent second baseman Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets for five players, including two top prospects and outfielder Jay Bruce.“Carlos Santana has been among the most durable players in the big leagues over the last eight years and has been a fixture in the middle of lineups during that time,” Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He gets on base, he does damage at the plate and is quite an underrated first baseman. J.P. Crawford gives us a young shortstop who is very athletic and fills up the tool box; he hits, he runs, he plays defense, he throws Ryan Zimmerman Jersey , he has power. For the last four running, he’s been among the top 20 prospects in baseball.”Seattle went 89-73 this year and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2001, the longest postseason drought among the four major pro American sports. The Phillies, who added Santana and Jake Arrieta last offseason, finished 80-82 after leading the NL East in early August.Santana batted a career-low .229 with 24 homers, 86 RBIs and a .352 OBP in his first season in Philadelphia after signing a $60 million, three-year contract.“Carlos is one of my favorite players in the league,” Klentak said. “I love the way he plays the game… I love everything about the guy.”Moving Santana allows the Phillies to move Rhys Hoskins from left field to his natural position at first base. Philadelphia’s team defense last season was among the worst in the majors.Crawford, a 2013 first-round pick, hit .214 in only 49 games. He’s been plagued by injuries and has only 187 career at-bats.Pazos was 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 60 appearances, covering 50 innings. He struck out 45 and walked 15.Nicasio was 1-6 with a 6.00 ERA in 46 games. He pitched in two games for the Phillies in 2017.Klentak said he’s still exploring other moves. The Phillies had All-Star lefty Patrick Corbin in town for a visit last week. The team is also interested in sluggers Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, among other hitters.