PHOENIX -- The Diamondbacks have found plenty of suitors for left-hander Wade Miley at the winter meetings, but they will not budge on a trade until the right offer presents itself, according to a source with knowledge of Arizona's position.
The D-backs have engaged in talks with Boston, Texas and Miami regarding Miley, and reports Wednesday evening said the D-backs and Red Sox had agreed in principle to a four-player deal that would send Miley to the Red Sox for right-handers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster and a minor leaguer.
While the deal has been discussed for some time, the D-backs will not sign off until the right minor leaguer is included, the source said. The D-backs did not speak to Boston on Wednesday, general manager Dave Stewart said, and the sides remained at an impasse late Wednesday night.
Boston scouts paid particular attention to Miley in the last weeks of the 2014 season, according to a source, and after losing out on free agent Jon Lester could seek to add another left-hander to the rotation, although the comparison stops there.
The Marlins and Rangers have also made inquiries on Miley, according to various sources.
It is not hard to see why Miley is on other teams' radar. He has been the D-backs' most consistent starter the last three years, going 34-33 with a 3.74 ERA while averaging 199 2/3 innings. He has not missed a start since he was elevated to the rotation in late April 2012, and at 16-11 he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting that season.
Miley, who turned 28 three weeks ago, has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining and could expect to earn between $3.75 million and $4.25 million this season, a reasonable salary for a starter.
At the same time, D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa on Wednesday afternoon told MLB Network the D-backs need to "get deeper and younger," and a Miley trade to Boston would accomplish that. Webster is 24 and De La Rosa is 25, and both project as at least middle of the rotation starters. Neither is eligible for arbitration until after the 2015 season.
Pitchers Ruby De La Rosa (left), 25, and Allen Webster, 24, could be Diamondbacks in a trade with the Red Sox for Wade Miley.
D-backs director of baseball operations De Jon Watson has a history with both De La Rosa and Webster. Watson was the Dodgers' assistant general manager when the two joined the organization in 2008. De La Rosa was a free agent and Webster an 18th-round draft pick out of high school in North Carolina.
De La Rosa had a 4-8 record with a 4.43 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) last season for Boston, while Webster was 5-3 with a 5.03 ERA in 11 starts>
If Miley leaves, the D-backs' rotation could include Josh Collmenter, Jeremy Hellickson, De La Rosa, Webster and a fifth from among a group of Chase Anderson, Vidal Nuno and Daniel Hudson. Stewart said before the meetings that using Hudson as a starter might be the best way to control his innings as he returns from a second Tommy John surgery in a mid-2013.
Miami manager Mike Redmond seemed to confirm the Marlins' interest when he spoke to reporters in San Diego on Wednesday, although there was no indication as to what the D-backs could receive in return.
"Well, I've seen Miley just a little bit," Redmond said. "But this guy has logged a lot of innings, and he's won games. So I think when you start talking about pitching staffs and ... it's one thing to have arms and quality arms, but at the end of the day you have to have guys that can win. Those are always things that we look at as a staff collectively going forward, is which guys give us the best opportunity to win.
"I think we're always looking to improve. Whether that's Miley or whoever it ends up being, that is the goal is to try to target guys that win games."
Texas turned to the D-backs when talks with San Diego and the New York Mets stalled, according to the Dallas Morning News. The paper suggested the D-backs could ask for Alex Gonzalez or top catching prospect Jorge Alfaro, who is considered the Rangers' catcher of the future and is unlikely to be moved.
The D-backs are in the market for a catcher to pair with Tuffy Gosewisch after they traded Miguel Montero to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, although Boston would not part with either young catchers Blake Swihart or Christian Vazquez. The D-backs appear to have an interest in Cubs former starter Welington Castillo, who lost his job to Montero. Catching prospect Peter O'Brien is unlikely to be ready for the majors in 2015.
The D-backs will have the first pick of the Rule 5 draft Thursday morning and could take a catcher there, although if the Boston trade goes through by then, they will have no room on their 40-man roster.
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