Mason Miller joining the Padres’ closer legacy comes with massive pressure

When the Padres acquired Mason Miller at the 2025 trade deadline, they were getting one of, if not the best, closers in the league. However, at the moment they got him, the best closer in the league would not be in that same role.

You see, the Padres' bullpen is loaded with talent, and the role of closer was held by Robert Suárez. Miller served as the team’s setup man, or in other words, the eighth-inning guy. In that role, Miller dominated, posting a 0.77 ERA in 23.1 innings.

Padres’ ninth inning tradition is about to make Mason Miller’s job feel heavier

Fast forward to spring training, and the Padres no longer have Robert Suárez after he signed a three-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. This means Mason Miller will be inserted back into the closer role, and to say that there is pressure that comes along with it is an understatement.

San Diego has had unwavering success when it comes to identifying solid bullpen arms, and that remains the case today. Rostering Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejón, Jason Adam, Robert Suárez, and Mason Miller all at the same time is incredibly impressive. All five of them managed to log ERAs below 3.50.

The success doesn’t only occur in the 21st century, as the Padres excellent track record at closer dates back all the way to the 1970s. Rollie Fingers, Rich Gossage, Mark Davis, Trevor Hoffman, Heath Bell, Hutson Street, Josh Hader, and Robert Suarez have held down this position and performed at the highest level.

Mason Miller looks to live up to the hype and carry on an organizational legacy that has been present within the franchise for so long. But what comes with such an honor is an equal amount of pressure, and it will be interesting to see how Miller embraces that in 2026.

But for now, we can firmly say that the Padres have the league’s best bullpen once again, as not many teams come close to matching the skill within the unit.