Here’s what it would take to land Mason Miller from the Padres

Back in July, the San Diego Padres made one of the flashiest moves of the 2025 trade deadline, acquiring hard-throwing right-hander Mason Miller from the Athletics in exchange for a pool of prospects. The trade included MLB’s No. 3 overall prospect in Leo De Vries.

The reasoning behind such a large haul has to do with talent (obviously), but the factor of team control. Miller, 27, is under contract through the 2030 season, meaning San Diego will have an anchor in their bullpen during their contending window while paying him a league-minimum salary.

A.J. Preller and the front office orchestrated this move to prepare for the inevitable departure of Robert Suárez, the team’s former closer, who ended up signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Atlanta Braves this offseason. Trading for Miller gave the team a secure, “next man up” in the bullpen.

The Padres’ Mason Miller pursuit comes down to one brutal reality

However, as of late, the Padres have been listening to offers for Mason Miller, leaving fans with questions about his future, as well as the team's long-term plans at the closer position.

The one big question, though…what would it actually take for the Padres to trade Mason Miller?

Let’s start with a fact: Mason Miller objectively improved his trade value during his time with the Padres. Over the course of 23.1 innings, he posted a 0.77 ERA with a 54 percent strikeout rate.

This means that if a team were to want Mason Miller, they would need to give the Padres more in return than when they initially acquired them.

If a team is serious about prying away a closer with Miller’s kind of stuff and control, the conversation doesn’t start with “a couple of solid prospects.” It starts with the top name in your system, and then it gets uncomfortable. That’s just the reality when you’re shopping at the top of the relief market.

For most clubs, that means their No. 1 prospect plus at least one additional big piece, and in many cases the “and then some” is a major-league ready arm or bat that can help immediately. Anything less is usually just checking in.

In all likelihood, Miller will remain a Padre until at least the trade deadline. This would be the rational thing to do, and we think Preller knows that.