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San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller is reportedly pushing for a deal for Athletics star closer Mason Miller. Is San Diego getting a new closer? Will he become a starter? Most importantly, what could the Padres give up?
The trade season has fully activated. Phones are ringing all around the league. Names like Eugenio Suarez, Ryan Helsley, and Jhoan Duran have already flown off the board.
The Athletics’ former All-Star closer, Mason Miller, could be the next big name to join that list. Multiple teams are in on the right-hander trying to make it happen, but nobody is closer than the San Diego Padres.
Mason Miller— who hadn’t pitched in four straight days— remained in the bullpen, in a save situation, with an off day slated for tomorrow. Speculation didn’t last for long. Within minutes, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the Padres “are working on” a deal to acquire Miller. Heyman followed up with two more posts further supporting the potential of a deal.
For San Diego, a reliever seems like the last position that the Padres would target. However, considering Miller has four years of control and is posting a down season, it appears possible. On top of that, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that multiple teams entertained the idea of stretching Miller into becoming a starter. In that case, San Diego would bolster a rotation that’s been middle-of-the-pack in 2025.
Miller’s profile is simply electric. His fastball averages 101.1 MPH and has topped out at 104 MPH in 2025. That alone is good for one of the best in baseball, but it doesn’t stop there. He mixes in a gyro-slider between 87-89 MPH that features 1.3″ of induced drop and 8.9″ of horizontal break. The slider lands in the top ten of all sliders in the MLB, per Baseball Savant’s Run Value.
San Diego is in talks with the A’s for CP Mason Miller
Potential two-team packages (for Miller alone):
– C Ethan Salas, LHP Kash Mayfield, RHP Bradgley Rodriguez
– SS Leo De Vries (straight up)
– C Ethan Salas, RHP Ryan Bergert, INF Cobb Hightower
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What would this cost the Padres?
A larger price than San Diego expected to face this deadline. With budget constraints and arguably a top-heavy farm system, this deal would be near the blockbuster territory. San Diego would likely have to part with a top-three player in the farm system, as just a headliner of a larger complete package.
Some potential packages could look like this:
– C Ethan Salas, LHP Kash Mayfield, RHP Bradgley Rodriguez
– SS Leo De Vries
– C Ethan Salas, RHP Ryan Bergert, INF Cobb Hightower
– RHP Braden Nett, RHP Humberto Cruz, LHP Boston Bateman, 1B Victor Figueroa
There’s a lot of talent on those lines. However, there’s a really talented player at stake with multiple years of control, and some potential flexibility regarding usage. The A’s are young and need to find pitching talent, regardless of age or experience.
Pulling this trigger would also have complications for the remainder of San Diego’s deadline. The middle-to-large scale names, such as Luis Robert Jr. and Steven Kwan, would easily be ruled out. Moreover, dealing pitchers Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez—who are on expiring contracts—would be even more reasonable.
Conclusion
All in all, Mason Miller heading south for San Diego would be a shocker in terms of logic. However, in the context of the game situation, the reports from Jon Heyman and the aggressiveness of A.J. Preller, you might as well consider it done. Additionally, Ken Rosenthal, among others, has hinted at the Padres making more noise on the market than many expected up front. Regardless, there’s a lot in store for the next 15 and a half hours. In all likelihood, it’s only a question of what, and not if.
A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a combination of around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X, and daily newsletters on the TikTok platform. Willy passionately studies Journalism at San Dieguito Academy, and is working to become billingual in Spanish to assist in communicating with Latin-born players and coaches.
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