Mason Miller has been able to achieve something that just about no one else in baseball has. In the history of this game, the one thing that has never been achieved is certainty. It’s impossible to be certain of anything in baseball. Any team, any day, is the mantra of fans and organizations throughout the league. And that’s because it’s true. Sometimes, teams that are struggling put it all together and win big. And sometimes, dominant clubs struggle to score a run against a pitcher with an ERA above 6.00.
And somehow, through all of that, is Miller. The San Diego Padres’ elite closer was named to his second All-Star squad this year. It’s his first as a Friar. He’ll be the lone Padre representative at the Midsummer Classic as the club’s offense and starting rotation have struggled to produce consistently. Instead of excitement surrounding Miller’s All-Star nod, there is more speculation currently about the star reliever being traded ahead of the 2026 trade deadline.
A rival executive says the Padres must consider trading Mason Miller ahead of this year’s deadline😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/KdFGvfniza
— Padres On SI (@PadresOnSI) July 10, 2026
The Pros of Trading Mason Miller
It’s easy to understand the tantalizing prospect of trading Miller. There’s a reason that the Athletics gave him up to San Diego at the 2025 deadline. The club got a ton in return for the right-hander’s services. Miller has been lights-out for San Diego, pitching to a minuscule 0.96 ERA and notching a perfect 23 saves in as many opportunities. Not only that, Miller is under club control through 2029. He’s a huge asset, and San Diego could fetch a massive trade haul in exchange for him. Granted, it wouldn’t be as much as they gave up to acquire Miller, but it would still be substantial.
But San Diego’s farm system is depleted, and the club continues to look like it won’t contend for the postseason. It’s possible that’s true, though there are reasons to believe that the Friars have begun to turn a corner ahead of the All-Star break. However, a commodity like Miller only makes sense on a contending team. If there’s no lead to protect in the ninth, you don’t need an elite closer.
San Diego’s Elusive Contention Window
Here’s the elephant in the room. San Diego has had its most prosperous era ever over the last six years. While General Manager A.J. Preller has certainly been controversial among fans, it’s difficult to argue with the results. The Friars have made the postseason four of the last six years and are coming off consecutive 90-win seasons. It’s a massive turnaround from a club that finished the 2019 season 22 games below .500.
Even though trading Miller replenishes your farm system, it says something even louder to the fans: we’re not contending anymore. Giving away an elite piece like Miller says that the contention window is over and the front office no longer trusts the San Diego core of Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. to lead this team to the playoffs. Because it’s not as easy as selling at this year’s deadline and saying, “we’ll get ’em next year.” Giving up Miller starts a domino effect that detonates San Diego’s elite bullpen for years to come.
Better Trade Candidates
If San Diego does sell at the deadline (which, knowing Preller, feels highly unlikely), it makes way more sense for them to trade impending free agents like Michael King, Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon. King has been the Padres’ best starter this year and could offer contending teams a rotation boost. Adam and Morejon have been two of the best relievers in baseball over the last few years and would offer struggling bullpens a dominant piece.
Unless San Diego extends Adam and Morejon, both will likely go elsewhere in the offseason, and the Friars won’t get anything in return. If the Padres trade Miller, that would mean they wouldn’t just lose their elite closer. They’d lose the entire trio that anchors their dominant bullpen. The ‘pen has been the only consistent part of San Diego in recent years. Without it, it’s hard to say how the Friars would be expected to contend in 2027 and beyond.
Main Photo Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
