Braves' Hart: 'None of us here have any interest' in trading Miller

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations John Hart insisted Monday that neither he nor his lieutenants have initiated any trade discussions involving Shelby Miller.

But he also didn't deny his willingness to listen when rival executives call him to ask about the 25-year-old right-hander.

"We have not picked up the phone one time on Shelby Miller," Hart said on the first day of the winter meetings. "We are all very happy to have Shelby Miller continue to grow from a (No. 3 starter) to a 2 to a 1 and be a part of us for the next three years. When you look at the price of poker for pitching right now, and you look at a guy like Shelby with 200-plus innings and a (3.02) ERA who is under control, we're certainly going to get calls.

"We are not afraid to receive the calls and discuss, but none of us here have any interest in trading Shelby. But at the same point, at this time of year, you're going to get these calls, and Shelby has been a guy."

Miller, who remains under team control through 2018, has generated plenty of trade interest this offseason after crafting a career-best 3.02 ERA (124 ERA+) over 33 starts this past season en route to his first ever All-Star berth. According to reports, both the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have inquired about miller, while the Arizona Diamondbacks have had almost daily discussions with Atlanta about the young hurler.

"When teams call us, we've got to at least listen, whether it's about Shelby or any of our many young pitching prospects," Braves general manager John Coppolella said. "I think we owe that to our fans to try to get them some semblance of an offense."

Eager to bolster his club's lineup, Coppolella included Miller in a pair of offers for Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but wasn't able to sway Dave Stewart, Arizona's general manager.

Coppolella said he's content to hang onto Miller, though, if he can't get the return he wants. Miller - the 19th overall pick in the 2009 draft - has quietly emerged as one of the more valuable starters in the National League, making at least 31 starts with an ERA below 3.75 in each of the past three seasons.

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"The way this pitching market has escalated, we're fine holding Shelby Miller. There isn't any rush to trade this guy," Coppolella said.