Padres roster review: Mason Miller – San Diego Union-Tribune
MASON MILLER
Position(s): Right-handed reliever
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 6-foot-5 / 200 pounds
How acquired: Via trade with the Sacramento Athletics in July 2025
Contract status: Will make $4 million after agreeing to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration; will not be a free agent until 2030
fWAR in 2025: 2.0
Key 2025 stats: 1-2, 2.63 ERA, 22 saves, 10 holds, 104 strikeouts, 28 walks, 0.91 WHIP, .139 opponent average, 61⅔ IP (60 games)
STAT TO NOTE
16 — The run value produced by Miller’s slider, according to Statcast, topped only by Braves ace Chris Sale (23) in 2025. Nobody threw a harder four-seamer in 2025 than Miller (101.2 mph), but that pitch was worth 1 run compared to a slider that yielded the lowest batting average (.108), slugging percentage (.108) and weighted on-base average (.114) in the majors, as well as the majors’ best whiff rate (54.6%), struck out rate (52.4%) and put-away rate (37.4%).
TRENDING
Up — While the Padres and A.J. Preller entertained a pre-draft deal with Miller in 2021, he ultimately went to the Athletics in the third round. Miller was a starter in college, began his career in the rotation and debuted as a starting pitcher in 2023. He made four starts before he was shut down with elbow tightness. Miller ultimately missed three months with a mild UCL sprain, returned as a reliever that September and has been in the bullpen ever since. Because he threw just 33⅓ innings in 2023, he qualified as a rookie in 2024 and finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting at the end of an All-Star campaign that saw him strike out 104 batters over 65 innings (2.49 ERA). Miller wasn’t faring nearly as well to start 2025 (3.76 ERA, 38⅓ innings), but he throws harder than anyone in the majors and had more than four years of control, leading Preller to use his top prospect to pry him away from the Athletics. Of course, it took more than SS Leo De Vries as RHPs Henry Baez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nuñez were included in the package for Miller and LHP JP Sears. Miller immediately moved into a set-up role in front of All-Star RHP Robert Suarez despite being 20-for-23 in save situations for the Athletics to start the year. Miller did save two games on off-days for Suarez, recorded 10 holds and used nothing but an elite slider (see stat to note) in recording the second immaculate inning in Padres history in early September. Losing Jason Adam to a quad injury in the final month of the year was a blow to arguably baseball’s best bullpen, but it was still a strength heading into the postseason and Miller held up his end of the bargain, striking out eight over 2⅔ scoreless innings over two appearances in the NL Wild Card Series.
2026 OUTLOOK
While Miller has history as a starting pitcher, the Padres will keep him in the bullpen this year. Suarez departed as a free agent after his second All-Star season, so Miller will slide right into the closer’s role. Miller qualified for Super-2 arbitration, but he’s still got three years of team control after this year — plenty of time for the Padres to reconsider how best to deploy one of the game’s most electric arms if they choose.
Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres greets teammates after being pulled in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs during Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 1, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
ROSTER RANKINGS
6. RHP Mason Miller
7. OF Ramón Laureano
8. SS Xander Bogaerts
9. LHP Adrián Morejón
10. RHP Jeremiah Estrada
11. RHP Jason Adam
12. 2B Jake Cronenworth
13. RHP Joe Musgrove
14. RHP Randy Vasquez
15. OF Gavin Sheets
16. LHP JP Sears
17. RHP Yu Darvish
18. RHP Bradgley Rodriguez
19. RHP David Morgan
20. C Freddy Fermin
21. LHP Wandy Peralta
22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy
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