Despite a report early Tuesday morning in the end the Cubs were not going to match the incredibly high price the Arizona Diamondbacks paid to acquire Shelby Miller.
According to multiple reports, the Braves traded RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Gabe Speier to the Diamondbacks for OF Ender Inciarte, RHP Aaron Blair and SS Dansby Swanson.
The Diamondbacks will be a force in the National League next season after Tony LaRussa and Dave Stewart acquired Miller from the Braves.
Ender Inciarte is one of the more-overlooked players in the game. Inciarte hit .303/.338/.408 with 27 doubles, five triples and six home runs for a .747 OPS in 132 games. Inciarte is only 25 years old and is not arbitration eligible until the 2017 season. The Braves received five years of control on Inciarte alone.
The D-Backs selected Aaron Blair is the first round of the 2013 draft. Blair is considered one of the top right-handed starting pitching prospects in the game. The 23-year old made it to Triple-A last season and was 7-2 in 13 appearances, 12 starts, for Triple-A Reno with a 3.16 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
Blair finished the year a combined 13-5 in 26 games, 25 starts, with a 2.92 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno. Blair gave up 59 runs, 52 earned, on 137 hits with 50 walks and 120 strikeouts in 160 1/3 innings.
Dansby Swanson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Vanderbilt. The Diamondbacks selected him 1-1 and have now traded each of their last three first round draft picks.
Swanson is from outside of Atlanta (Marietta, GA) and turns 22 in February. Swanson batted .289/.394/.482 in 22 games for Short-Season Class-A Hillsboro after the draft. Swanson had seven doubles, three triples and a home run for a .876 OPS.
The Braves acquired LHP Gabe Speier along with Ian Krol from the Tigers in the deal for Cameron Maybin. Speier is a lefty reliever that turns 21 in April. In 33 appearances for Low-A West Michigan in the Midwest League, Speier was 4-2 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
With the price the Diamondbacks paid for Shelby Miller, the cost to acquire controllable starting pitchers increased significantly Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings.