Diamondbacks do not tender contracts to Chris Owings, Shelby Miller
Nov 30, 2018, 4:54 PM | Updated: 10:28 pm
(AP Photos)
(AP Photos)
The Arizona Diamondbacks will not tender a contract offer to longtime infielder/outfielder Chris Owings, reports 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station‘s John Gambadoro.
Friday marked the deadline for teams to decide whether they would non-tender arbitration-eligible players, meaning that Owings — who was in his third year of eligibility for arbitration, per Spotrac — will become a free agent.
Owings spent six seasons with the D-backs.
Last year, Owings played in 106 games with the big league club, but was demoted to the Triple-A Reno Aces for a short time beginning on Aug. 3 after he had batted .198 with the D-backs to that point. But in his time with Arizona, Owings was well-known for his versatility, playing both middle infield and outfield in the wake of injuries to A.J. Pollock.
He was drafted in the first round (41st overall) by the D-backs in 2009, and his brother, Connor Owings, was drafted by Arizona in the 34th round in 2016.
In addition to Owings, the team also did not tender a contract option to pitcher Shelby Miller.
Miller was in his fourth year of eligibility for arbitration.
A former 19th-overall pick by the Cardinals in 2009, Miller eventually was on the Atlanta Braves for a season, where he posted a 3.02 ERA and was an NL All-Star. That offseason, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in a blockbuster that sent outfielder Ender Inciarte, first overall pick Dansby Swanson and pitching prospect Aaron Blair to the Braves for Miller and Gabe Speier.
Because of injuries, Miller has appeared in just 29 games in his three years in Arizona. When he has seen the field, he’s posted a 6.35 ERA.
Closer Brad Boxberger was another player the team did not tender a contract offer for.
Boxberger was in his third year of arbitration eligibility.
The former 43rd-overall pick in the 2009 draft out of USC spent time with the Padres and the Rays before coming to Arizona. He led the league in saves with 41 in 2015 with Tampa Bay as he was named an All-Star and posted a 3.71 ERA. Boxberger was traded to the D-backs last offseason for minor-leaguer Curtis Taylor, and went on to post a 4.39 ERA and 1.425 WHIP with eight blown saves.
The team tendered a total of 35 players for the 2019 season, Arizona announced.
