A’s Closer Mason Miller Landing Spots amid MLB Trade Rumors, Red-Hot Start to 2024
A’s Closer Mason Miller Landing Spots amid MLB Trade Rumors, Red-Hot Start to 20240 of 7
Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images
In just a few weeks, Mason Miller has managed to go from a relative unknown to potentially the hottest pitcher on MLB’s summer trade market.
To be clear, just because the market is already open doesn’t mean it’s a given that the Oakland Athletics will trade their hard-throwing closer. But the baseline ingredients for a trade are already there.
Teams are calling the A’s about Miller, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. And per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the A’s are listening.
So, it’s fair game to speculate on possible landing spots for the 25-year-old right-hander. But first, we must discuss the apparently exorbitant price tag Oakland has put on Miller.
What Is Miller’s Trade Value?1 of 7
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
The first thing to know about Miller is that, at least on a pitch-to-pitch basis, he’s the top hurler in Major League Baseball right now.
In 14 appearances spanning 18.1 innings, he’s faced 67 batters and struck out 38 of them against five walks and seven hits. He has yet to give up a home run and has only been hit hard (i.e., 95-plus mph) five times. Hence his 0.98 ERA.
These aren’t even the most notable numbers associated with Miller. What’s really elevated him from unknown territory is his steady diet of 100 mph fastballs, of which he’s thrown 54 more than any other pitcher in 2024.
MLB Pipeline @MLBPipelineMason Miller bringing the heat on 3 K’s to secure the save for the @Athletics:
102.5 mph
103.3
102.5 pic.twitter.com/40LrUknByb
Miller won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2026, and he won’t reach free agency until after 2029. To trade for him would be to trade for a franchise closer both for now and for the foreseeable future.
Which brings us to this bit in Rosenthal’s report: “To acquire him, a team likely would need to give up a young player of comparable ability, or a substantial package of multiple youngsters who could be part of the A’s future.”
This tracks, though it theoretically limits Miller’s market to teams with open contention windows and more young players than they have room for.
It’s with this in mind that I present a speculative list of the 10 best fits for Miller, ranked in order of how much sense they make for him. I’ve also pitched trades for the top five.
Note: All farm system and prospect rankings are courtesy of B/R’s Joel Reuter.
10-6: Royals, Rangers, Padres, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays2 of 7
Kirby YatesLachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
10. Kansas City Royals
Record: 26-18, 2nd in AL Central
Current Closer: James McArthur
McArthur is complicit in the Royals’ bullpen having the second-lowest strikeout rate in MLB. But while it’s hard to imagine a better fix for that problem than Miller, Kansas City doesn’t have a ton to barter with in its 28th-ranked farm system.
9. Texas Rangers
Record: 22-22, 2nd in AL West
Current Closer: Kirby Yates
With José Leclerc having a rough season and Josh Sborz on the injured list, the bullpen is again a source of concern for the Rangers. Their farm system is a little thin at the moment, though, and it’s not as if Yates (1.10 ERA) is slacking in the closer’s role.
8. San Diego Padres
Record: 22-23, 2nd in NL West
Current Closer: Robert Suarez
With trades for Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez under his belt just in the last couple of months, it seems foolish to count out Padres general manager A.J. Preller on any star trade attractions. But with Suarez (0.49 ERA) having a terrific year, the need for Miller in San Diego isn’t strong.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 20-23, 3rd in NL West
Current Closer: Paul Sewald
Arizona’s bullpen has been on the leaky side, blowing nine saves and committing 32 meltdowns. But Sewald, who’s as good as anyone when healthy and pitching well, just came off the IL. Otherwise, this is another team with a middling farm system.
6. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 19-22, 5th in AL East
Current Closer: Jordan Romano
Blue Jays relievers have a 5.04 ERA and Romano’s strikeout rate is at a career-low 19.6 percent, so whether Miller is needed in Toronto is not the question here. Whether they can afford him is, especially with one of its two best prospects out with an injury.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers3 of 7
Daniel HudsonRonald Martinez/Getty Images
Record: 29-15, 1st in NL West
Current Closer: Daniel Hudson
The Dodgers aren’t exactly letting anyone down so far in 2024, but it’s nonetheless fair to ask if they have a World Series-caliber bullpen.
It could be in the event that Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Ryan Brasier and Joe Kelly all get and stay healthy. But even then, it might still be possible to behold the Dodgers’ pen and feel underwhelmed.
It hasn’t been missing many bats, after all. And per Stuff+, the quality of pitches in said pen ranks toward the bottom of MLB.
To these ends, Miller resembles a missing link for the Dodgers. And because this team’s World Series aspirations are as real as anyone’s, it would be an outrage if president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman didn’t at least ask about him.
Trade Proposal: Los Angeles Dodgers get RHP Mason Miller; Oakland Athletics get C Dalton Rushing (Dodgers No. 1, MLB No. 71), OF Josue De Paula (Dodgers No. 2, MLB No. 92), RHP Kyle Hurt (Dodgers No. 4)
It would look good on paper if the A’s scored three of the Dodgers’ four best prospects for Miller. And the latter can spare Rushing, who’s blocked by Will Smith and Freddie Freeman.
Still, the A’s can probably do better. It’s a strong system the Dodgers have, but Rushing and De Paula are two of only three top-100 types within it.
4. Philadelphia Phillies4 of 7
José AlvaradoRich Schultz/Getty Images
Record: 30-13, 1st in NL East
Current Closer: José Alvarado
The Phillies don’t have many problems right now, and you could even argue that their bullpen is the least of their worries.
It’s a legit strength, and especially so when Alvarado, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering or Matt Strahm has the ball. Since Kerkering came off the IL on April 14, the four of them have handled 42 innings and allowed only four earned runs.
Still, the Phillies are worth thinking about as a landing spot for Miller because of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s reputation. He’s done some huge trades in the past, and it feels like he’s overdue to add to the list.
Besides, this bullpen has a soft underbelly beneath that awesome foursome. If Dombrowski wants to leave nothing to chance after consecutive near-misses in the playoffs, he’d do well to address it.
Trade Proposal: Philadelphia Phillies get RHP Mason Miller; Oakland Athletics get RHP Mick Abel (Phillies No. 2, MLB No. 39), OF Justin Crawford (Phillies No. 3, MLB No. 56), SS Starlyn Caba (Phillies No. 5)
It’s hard to see Andrew Painter going anywhere while he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but this deal would net Oakland the Phillies’ second-best pitching prospect and the son of Carl Crawford. Not bad at all.
Is Abel a good enough centerpiece for the A’s, though? On paper, yes. But in context of his 5.60 ERA through six starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, maybe not.
3. New York Yankees5 of 7
Clay HolmesDaniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Record: 28-15, 1st in AL East
Current Closer: Clay Holmes
Just in case anyone needs to hear it, this is not meant to be a repudiation of Holmes.
To say he’s been dominant would be understating it. He’s yet to allow an earned run through 18.1 innings, with 21 strikeouts against only three walks. The average batted ball off him has traveled only 96 feet, good for the second-lowest mark in MLB.
Holmes is due for free agency this winter, though, so a trade for Miller would have the effect of lining up his heir apparent. And it’s not as if he isn’t needed in the meantime.
Jonathan Loáisiga’s season-ending elbow surgery opened a hole in the Yankees’ bullpen. Plus, its 2.63 ERA is not to be mistaken for a sign of invincibility. This pen is tied for the sixth-lowest strikeout rate in MLB, which is potentially a ticking time bomb.
Trade Proposal: New York Yankees get RHP Mason Miller; Oakland Athletics get SS Roderick Arias (Yankees No. 3, MLB No. 69), RHP Chase Hampton (Yankees No. 4, MLB No. 76), OF Everson Pereira (Yankees No. 5, MLB No. 95)
Three top-100 prospects for Miller? That’s more like it. And as a switch-hitting shortstop with at least three plus tools, Arias has upside coming out of his ears.
Yet none of these guys is named Jasson DomÃnguez or Spencer Jones, either of whom would be an ideal prize for Oakland. The latter, at least, seems pretty much off-limits.
2. Baltimore Orioles6 of 7
Yennier CanoG Fiume/Getty Images
Record: 26-14, 2nd in AL East
Current Closer: Yennier Cano
There was a moment when Craig Kimbrel looked like one of the best additions of the winter, but it proved to be fleeting.
Whereas the veteran righty once had a 0.82 ERA through 11 appearances, he’s since posted a 10.13 ERA over eight appearances. He lost his job as the Orioles’ closer in the process.
Even though Cano has stabilized things, the Orioles may not be fully trusting of the situation. Though he didn’t name Miller as one of the team’s targets, Nightengale’s report mentioned that Baltimore is already considering trade options.
If the O’s pivot to Miller, what it would mean for their future would be just as exciting as what it would mean for their present. Come 2025, he’d get to team up with a healthy Félix Bautista to form potentially the best relief duo around.
Trade Proposal: Baltimore Orioles get RHP Mason Miller; Oakland Athletics get 3B Coby Mayo (Orioles No. 3, MLB No. 14), OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Orioles No. 5, MLB No. 78)
This is the same trade that Rosenthal pitched. Try as I might in messing around with Baseball Trade Values’ simulator, I was unable to land on a more appropriate haul of players.
It would be a solid deal for Oakland, albeit one that leans more toward “quality” than “quantity.” And since there’s a question of whether his bat will play in the majors, Bradfield isn’t a sure thing even by prospect standards.
1. Chicago Cubs7 of 7
Héctor NerisJim McIsaac/Getty Images
Record: 24-19, 2nd in NL Central
Current Closer: Héctor Neris
Speaking of teams that must already be thinking about grabbing bullpen help off the trade market, the Cubs are right there with the Orioles.
“There’s a long way to go,” Hoyer, the club’s president of baseball operations, said in comments about the bullpen. “Obviously, we’ll be looking for external stuff. But that stuff is generally not available this time of year. And so the focus right now is on getting healthy and improving guys that might be struggling.”
Hoyer may not sound urgent, but he should be. Cubs relievers have a bottom-10 ERA at 4.50 and have racked up 11 losses. Only Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox relievers have more.
Miller alone wouldn’t fix everything, but he’d bring a level of stability that the Cubs simply aren’t going to get with in-house options. Or, for that matter, arguably any of the other relievers who could be had this summer.
Trade Proposal: Chicago Cubs get RHP Mason Miller; Oakland Athletics get OF Kevin Alcántara (Cubs No. 4, MLB No. 47), OF Owen Caissie (Cubs No. 5, MLB No. 52), IF James Triantos (Cubs No. 6, MLB No. 87)
As steep as it is, this deal would allow the Cubs to keep all three of their best prospects: right-hander Cade Horton, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and third baseman Matt Shaw.
Not ideal for the A’s, perhaps, but they would still have plundered a more-than-fair haul from the best farm system in MLB. Everyone would win, in other words.
