Tyson

Miller

To get a sense of the calamity that is the Cubs current bullpen, Thompson entered this game for Drew Smyly, who was put on waivers earlier this week, who relieved Tyson Miller after allowing three runs and turning this into a save situation. Back from injury and the most effective option, there’s a good chance Thompson is called upon for the Cubs’ next save opportunity.

Better umpiring would have helped the Cubs here, but it’s not like either Brewer or Smyly impressed tonight. The Cubs wanted Brewer to close over Héctor Neris, but he gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced. Smyly entered at that point and allowed a single and three walks. One of those was intentional, but the last, which pushed the winning run across, certainly wasn’t. With Neris out of the mix for the moment, Tyson Miller might be the current favorite for saves in the Cubs pen. He got the final two outs of the eighth before exiting tonight.

Miller is heading back to his former organization after being designated for assignment by Seattle. The right-hander had a 3.09 ERA before being waived, and he’ll have a chance to help the Chicago bullpen in a similar capacity.

Going back to Seattle will be infielder Jake Slaughter. Miller, who debuted with the Cubs in 2020, had a 3.09 ERA in nine appearances before the Mariners dropped him from the roster.

The Mariners needed to free up a spot on their active roster for Bryan Woo’s (elbow) return on Friday night, and unfortunately Miller was the odd-man out this time. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a strong 3.09 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and a 12/1 K/BB ratio over 11 2/3 innings out of the M’s bullpen. Given the overall struggle that most teams experience with bullpen depth, it would be surprising if Miller didn’t garner some interest on waivers.

Miller, 28, is one of several roster moves for the Mariners on Monday. The right-hander will be a multi-inning option out of the bullpen and takes the roster spot of Colin Snider after Snider was placed on the injured list with a knee bruise.

Seattle’s front office has had some success recently with under-the-radar offseason reliever stashes, so it’s worth noting that they’ve scooped up Miller at the outset of the offseason. The 28-year-old righty bounced around quite a bit last season, making 10 appearances between the Brewers, Dodgers and Mets, finishing with a serviceable 4.70 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 10/6 K/BB ratio across 15 1/3 innings of work in the majors. He’ll presumably compete next spring for a spot in the Mariners’ season-opening bullpen.

Miller had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. He passed through waivers unclaimed though and will continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Dodgers at the Triple-A level.

Miller has bounced around between several organizations this season and is back on waivers after a brief stint with the Dodgers.

Miller returns to the Dodgers organization after being designated for assignment by the Mets earlier in the week. The 28-year-old has a 5.40 ERA and 1.35 across 13 1/3 innings with the Brewers, Mets, and Dodgers this season.