The San Diego Padres are sitting at 46-46, stuck in second place in the NL West, and the question nobody can quite answer is whether AJ Preller actually wants to be a seller at the deadline. Especially when it comes to Mason Miller.
Miller has been dominant since arriving in San Diego. A 0.89 ERA over 61 innings, 23 saves, and he’s third in the majors in that category. He’s the kind of closer contending teams would mortgage a farm system for. But the Padres gave up a lot to get him, which is why the rumor mill keeps churning even as the team insists it isn’t ready to tear things down.
The Athletic’s take on the Miller situation
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon wrote that they’re not convinced Preller will sell, but they also left the door wide open. Their exact words: “We’ll believe San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will sell when we see it.” But they also note that if Preller makes Miller available, he’ll have a hard time getting back a prospect as good as Leo De Vries, the shortstop he sent to Oakland to land Miller in the first place.
De Vries was the centerpiece of a four-player package that also included lefty JP Sears. At the time, Miller had over four years of team control. Now it’s down to three-plus years. That changes the calculus a little, but not as much as you’d think. Miller has been even better in San Diego than he was in Oakland. His ERA dropped from 3.16 with the A’s to under one run per nine innings with the Padres. That kind of performance makes him a prime trade target for any team that thinks it’s one arm away from a deep playoff run.
So what would a trade actually look like?
If Preller does decide to move Miller, the return would have to be massive. Not just a couple of mid-tier prospects. We’re talking about a package built around a potential future star. Rosenthal and Sammon hinted at that, saying Miller would “still command a haul.”
The Padres have a history of being aggressive, both buying and selling. They traded Juan Soto last year. They traded for Dylan Cease. They’re not afraid to make a move, even if it looks like they’re zigging while everyone else is zagging. But selling Miller while the team is still within striking distance of a wild card spot would be a tough sell to the fanbase.
It’s also worth remembering that Miller isn’t just a rental. Three years of control on a 27-year-old closer with a 0.89 ERA is rare. The asking price will be sky-high, which might actually protect Miller from being moved. Teams might balk at giving up the kind of package San Diego would demand.
For now, the Padres aren’t saying much. Preller hasn’t tipped his hand. The deadline is still weeks away. But the Miller whispers aren’t going anywhere, and every time he punches out another batter with that fastball, the price tag creeps up a little more.
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