Andrew Miller willing to take whatever role Yankees give him

The Royals made it to the seventh game of the World Series in large part because of their lockdown bullpen, and the sport took notice.

Among the most prominent teams taking note? The Yankees, who believe they could have a similarly devastating seventh-eighth-ninth-inning combination after inking lefthander Andrew Miller to a four-year, $36-million contract last week.

"Certainly the pieces are there,'' Miller said late Monday morning during a conference call with New York reporters. "Obviously, the talk of the town is what the Royals did. I think it's starting to come to the forefront that having good arms to make sure you win those [close] games or keep you in games where you're down is certainly a very valuable piece to the team.''

The Yankees' ideal scenario is teaming the 6-7 Miller, who posted a 2.02 ERA and struck out 103 in 621/3 innings for the Red Sox and Orioles last season, with 6-8 righthander Dellin Betances, who had a 1.40 ERA in 70 appearances and struck out 135 in 90 innings, to get the ball to closer David Robertson.

Robertson, 29, had a 3.08 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 641/3 innings. But he is a free agent still looking to score the kind of contract Jonathan Papelbon received from the Phillies before the 2012 season ($50 million over four years), a price the Yankees currently don't plan to meet.

They are willing to give Robertson the four years they committed to the 29-year-old Miller, but not at the kind of dollars Papelbon received.

If Robertson signs elsewhere -- and he has other suitors such as the Astros, who actually offered Miller more than the Yankees did, and perhaps the White Sox -- Miller said his expectation is that Betances will get the first chance to close, and deservedly so.

"What he did was pretty incredible,'' Miller said. "Everything he did was what I was trying to mimic as much as possible. It seemed like when he came in, he was aggressive from the get-go. He has pitches where it doesn't really matter what he's throwing. He just was really aggressive in the zone, and that's what I'm trying to do myself. His ability to come in and pitch to lefthanders, righthanders, whatever inning it was, was really impressive.''

Though Miller has only one save in nine seasons, if the opportunity to close is given to him, he will embrace it.

"I certainly think I'm capable,'' Miller said. "If Robertson does not sign, then I would assume they clearly feel comfortable with . . . Everybody saw what Betances was last year. I'm pretty confident in myself. I think I can get three outs at any point in the game. Wherever that may be, whatever it is, is fine with me. I want to win. I want to shake hands and high-five at the end of the game more than anything.''

Friday's activity, a busy day in which the Yankees also completed a three-team trade for shortstop Didi Gregorius, allowed general manager Brian Cashman to cross two items off his to-do list, but there remains much to be done. Cashman arrived here for the winter meetings Monday afternoon and immediately got to work addressing other needs.

The rotation needs bolstering -- counting out the Yankees in the pursuit of some of the big-name starters on the market, a common theme earlier in the offseason, should be done with caution -- and insurance is needed at third base. Chase Headley remains the Yankees' preferred target, as has been the case since this year's free-agency period kicked off.

The Yankees continue to look at relievers in the event that Robertson signs with another team, and though Cashman has talked about a spring training battle at second base between rookies Jose Pirela and Rob Refsnyder, he also is looking for insurance at that position.

"The Yankees never stop,'' Miller said, adding another reason that he signed with them. "If something was appealing, they'll never stop adding pieces.''