San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Miller commented on the trade availability of All-Star closer Mason Miller.
The Padres currently have a 47-48 record with one game to go before the MLB All-Star break. The team sits in third place in the NL West, but with the squad being 13.5 GB of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the odds of them winning their division are slim to none.
In terms of the NL Wild Card hunt, the Padres are 4.5 GB of the third and final Wild Card slot with four teams ahead of them. So, the probability of the team making the playoffs this year isn’t great, which is why there have been suggestions they could potentially move Miller.
But Preller isn’t planning on doing that.
A.J. Preller Comments on Miller Miller
Speaking to reporters after the first day of the MLB Draft, Preller was asked about his plans with Miller, and here’s what he said.
“Let’s go get ready for Day 2 of the Draft tomorrow, and let’s go win a couple more games and hopefully put our team in a better spot. Obviously, Mason is the best in the game. So you’re always going to have people that are going to be interested in somebody that’s the best in their craft and at what they do,” Miller said (via MLB.com).
“Since we made the deal last year, he’s performed as good as you could want somebody to perform. We made the deal with the intention that Mason is going to be here for a long time. He’s done an unbelievable job. And our intent is still the same as when we made the deal last year.”
So, based on what Preller is saying, he wants to keep Miller in the fold going forward. But he also did not completely rule out potentially flipping the man who is the best closer in baseball.
Mason Miller This Year
In 2026, Miller is 2-1 with a 0.93 ERA while coming out of the Padres’ bullpen 37 times. He has saved a league-leading 24 games for San Diego, and he has racked up 71 strikeouts in 38.2 IP. He also has a 2.2 bWAR accumulated so far this season.
It’s fair to say that Miller has been nothing short of incredible, and if the Padres did trade him, they would get a ton back in return for his services.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Miller still has three more years of club control beyond this season, so he will be relatively cheap for the near future before he becomes a free agent.
Should the Padres change their mind and concede that the playoffs aren’t happening for the team this year, then perhaps Preller will move Miller and try to replace the prospects that the team originally sent the Athletics to acquire him last year.
But right now, San Diego is hopeful that the team can still make a playoff run, and with several weeks to go until the trade deadline, Preller still has some more time to assess his options.
A.J. Preller Comments on Mason Miller’s Trade Availability