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The Chicago Cubs are one of the teams that could benefit from a trade for Oakland A’s reliever Mason Miller, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
“Phillies were mentioned. I think the Orioles are a team that could use bullpen [help], Cubs are a team that could use bullpen [help],” Heyman said May 15 on “Heyman’s Insider Report,” shared by Bleacher Report’s Walk-Off.
Heyman discussed why adding an elite reliever like Miller would benefit the Cubs.
“Will the Cubs fix this bullpen? I think they better,” Heyman said. “Because they have a solid team. Good defense, now you’ve got [Seiya] Suzuki back, you’ve got [Cody] Bellinger back. [Kyle] Hendricks is back; he had a nice outing.
“You know, they’ve got a good rotation. [Shōta] Imanaga has been amazing. [Javier] Assad has been really good. Just the bullpen is the question,” he said. “Really, Al Leiter’s nephew Mark Leiter is the only one really performing.
Heyman spoke about why the A’s should consider trading Miller.
“Big time value for Mason Miller. 55% strikeout rate, basically unhittable so far with an ERA just over 1 for Oakland. I mean, he has been incredible,” he said. “If I’m them, yeah, I would love to probably get a haul for Mason Miller.”
However, the A’s asking price for Miller might be too high for teams, according to a May 12 story by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who asserted that Miller “is expected to stay put” in Oakland.
Mason Miller’s Trade Market Is Crowded
The Cubs aren’t alone in teams viewed as needing Miller’s services. A May 15 Bleacher Report article by Zachary D. Rymer noted 10 MLB teams as potential landing spots for Miller.
Rymer called the Baltimore Orioles the second most likely trade destination for Miller, despite Nightengale’s assertion that the Orioles have their sights on three other relievers.
“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?” Rymer wrote. “Come 2025, he’d get to team up with a healthy Félix Bautista to form potentially the best relief duo around.”
After the Orioles on Rymer’s list came another AL East team: the New York Yankees.
“[Clay] 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,” Ryman wrote.
Where Did Mason Miller Come From?
One year ago, most MLB fans would not have known who Mason Miller was. Now he’s one of the game’s most dominant relievers.
But how did Miller get here?
The 25-year-old fireballer was born in Pittsburgh and played four seasons of college baseball at Pennsylvania’s Waynesburg University, before transferring to Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina for a fifth season.
During his one season at Gardner-Webb, Miller produced an 8-1 record with a 3.79 ERA and 121 strikeouts across 92.2 innings pitched.
After that 2021 season, the A’s selected Miller in the third round (97th overall) of the 2021 MLB draft.
A May 12 article from MLB.com quoted Miller praising his mother, Kirsten, as having helped him reached this point.
“My mom was around all the time,” Miller said, per MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos. “Always getting me where I need to go. Getting me food. You name it. She’s the best. … I don’t think enough can be said about what she did for us and just the values she instilled. It’s a joy for me now to get to perform on a stage like this and have [my parents] be able to tune in and watch.”
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