Bold Mason Miller prediction has the Padres building the NL’s nastiest bullpen nightmare

Everyone knows that going into 2026, the Padres have the league’s best bullpen, and it is very hard to debate that. But as much credit the unit gets as a whole, some people believe that one flame-thrower in particular stands above all relievers in the entire league.

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince provided his “way-too-early attempt at predicting 2026 award winners.” For starters, he penciled in Julio Rodriguez and Juan Soto to win MVP in their respective leagues, while also rolling with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Garrett Crochet to take home the Cy Young Awards.

Castrovince predicted Mason Miller to win the National League Reliever of the Year award in 2026, as the 27-year-old is set to embrace his first full year in San Diego while earning back his job as closer. The role he played during his time with the Athletics.

MLB.com picks Padres’ Mason Miller as the 2026 NL Reliever of the Year

Acquired at the 2025 trade deadline to replace Robert Suárez, who signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. The Padres expect big things out of Miller, considering what they gave up to get him in the first place: a top-three prospect in all of baseball, along with three others

In his half-season with San Diego, Miller posted a 0.77 ERA over the course of 23.1 innings pitched. He also relied almost entirely on the strikeout, as he overwhelmed batters with fastballs containing blistering velocity.

With Miller being the last guy out of the bullpen, he will be complemented by Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, and Adrian Morejón. The Padres will also see David Morgan in a more important role this season, as well as seeing what they have in Bradgley Rodríguez, a top prospect.

Being predicted to win an honor such as the reliever of the year is always nice, but Miller is in search of something even bigger…a World Series ring. He will be a huge part of the team’s path to the postseason.

Amidst all the uncertainty in the roster, it is nice to see that the Padres have one constant still there, and that is the bullpen.