With the Trade Deadline now just a matter of hours away and a flurry of moves taking place as it nears, the Padres are rumored to be looking at potentially making a blockbuster addition that has an intriguing twist.
In short: Mason Miller … starter?
According to a report in The Athletic (subscription required), Padres general manager AJ Preller -- known for making bold and often splashy moves as San Diego continues the quest for its first World Series championship -- is “pushing” for the flamethrowing closer of the A's.
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Miller, who turns 27 next month and still has four years of club control remaining, would likely be very expensive -- Preller and the Padres would all but certainly have to part with some of the organization’s very best prospects.
But according to The Athletic report, “indications” are that Preller “is willing to at least discuss” such names as shortstop Leo De Vries (the third-ranked prospect in all of baseball per MLB Pipeline) and catcher Ethan Salas (the club’s No. 2 prospect and No. 20 overall).
To add to the intrigue, the Padres might consider converting Miller back into a starting pitcher (the right-hander made six starts for the A’s back in 2023). San Diego does have a history of converting relievers into starters, doing so recently with Michael King, Stephen Kolek and Seth Lugo.
Miller has been one of the elite closers in the game since he took over the full-time role for the A’s last year. He posted a 2.49 ERA with 28 saves and an incredible 41.8% strikeout rate in 2024, also being selected as an All-Star in his first full MLB season.
This year, he’s pitched to a 3.76 ERA (2.83 xERA) with 20 saves and has both the highest average fastball velocity in MLB (101.1 mph entering Wednesday) and second-highest strikeout rate (39.1%).
As they continue to survey the trade market landscape, being linked to names such as Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, the Padres have been rumored to be shopping star right-hander Dylan Cease and current closer Robert Suarez, making a potential Miller acquisition all the more plausible.