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The Padres risk wasting NL Reliever of the Year Mason Miller by skimping on starters

Let’s spend enough to get Miller out of his jacket.
ByTremayne Person
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Sep 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) celebrates his save during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
Sep 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) celebrates his save during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We all want to see Mason Miller closing out the ninth at Petco Park. Now picture Craig Stammen in the fifth, watching his starter labor with the heart of the order coming up. The Padres need to spend this winter so Stammen sees a lot less of that in 2027.

Miller won the inaugural BBWAA National League Reliever of the Year award after posting a 1.67 ERA with 38 saves and 129 strikeouts in 70 innings. Those strikeouts set a Padres record for a reliever. With Miller in place as closer, the Padres’ biggest pitching questions are in the rotation. How much is A.J. Preller willing to spend on starters who can regularly get through six innings?

A guy who can toss six will hopefully leave Stammen with just three innings to cover on a good night. Michael King gave the Padres 185 innings over 32 starts with a 3.21 ERA in 2026. He was the one you could count on for quality starts. Those were harder to come by everywhere else in the rotation. If a starter can give only four innings, Stammen has to cover 12 more outs just to get to Miller. Do that on back-to-back nights and the setup man Stammen wants for the eighth on Saturday might already have pitched twice in the series.

The Padres are aiming high in free agency and need to land a starter

King opted out, the Padres declined Nick Pivetta’s option, and we still don’t know what Joe Musgrove’s role will look like after his return from Tommy John surgery. Signing Ryan Weiss gives the Padres some depth. We’ll probably see him make starts in 2027, even if he opens the season outside the rotation.

The Padres are looking at the right names. Jon Morosi reported their interest in Tarik Skubal, and The Athletic’s Dennis Lin linked them to Shota Imanaga. We should be pulling for a reunion with King, too. We can give Preller credit for aiming high. Now we need to see him get a deal done.

Preller needs to pay for a track record in this situation. There’s a temptation to look at Miller’s numbers and figure the bullpen gives the Padres some room to economize on starters. Try living with that decision on long road trips with an exhausted bullpen. Or, what if Adrian Morejon actually signs somewhere else? Who are you going to lean on for four to five outs before handing the ball off to Miller?

The Padres gave up Leo De Vries to get Miller, and Miller just won NL Reliever of the Year. We’ve seen what this front office is willing to give up for three outs in the ninth. Let’s see what it’s willing to spend on the first 18.

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