Are Baltimore Orioles A Great Spot for New Star Mason Miller?

The Baltimore Orioles could be the perfect spot for new MLB superstar Mason Miller to land at the trade deadline.

Apr 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Mason Miller (19) reacts during the tenth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have been toying with the idea of finding a new closer with Craig Kimbrel being inconsistent at times.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden stated his belief that Baltimore should trade for an impact closer. The best arm on the market is the Oakland Athletics' Mason Miller, but he might be too expensive to want to trade for.

Miller has built himself into being the biggest bullpen name in baseball in a very short time. The rookie of the year favorite has been phenomenal this season and is expected to be a very popular player at the deadline.

He’s fresh off the worst outing of the season, but has done enough to where that likely won’t affect his trade situation. In 1.2 innings of work on Thursday, he allowed three earned runs on three hits. Those were the first earned runs he’s allowed since back in his first appearance of the season at the end of March. It was 19 innings of work between allowing a run, he also allowed just four hits in that span.

The 25-year-old entered Thursday leading the league in xERA, xwOBA, SLG, xSLG and xBA. He’s been virtually unhittable and watching him play makes it easy to understand why.

He does it with a signature velocity on his fastball, clocking in at 100.9 MPH. He has a dangerous slider too, though, which is top-20 for movement in MLB.

Miller’s biggest drawback would be that people might be wary of trading away a lot of assets for someone that seems destined for arm issues because of his velocity. He has already found himself on the 60-day IL in his career for an elbow injury.

The Orioles could be the best spot for him to land, though. It's an immediate need and they have the prospects to trade away and still feel good about their future.

The best player that Baltimore would feel comfortable trading away, in Bowden's eyes, would be Heston Kjerstad. The 25-year-old No. 4 prospect in baseball has crowded path to the lineup with the Orioles. He's a good enough piece to get the Athletics' attention, without trading away any of the players that Baltimore really needs.

Kjerstad could be paired with someone like Connor Norby or Dylan Beavers and still leave Baltimore happy with where their farm stands.

It might not make sense for a lot of teams around the league to trade away top prospects for a closer, but it might be the move that makes the difference between advancing or being eliminated in the playoffs for the Orioles.