Padres' AJ Preller Doesn't Close Door on Potential Mason Miller Trade

Just one player will represent the San Diego Padres at Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Closer Mason Miller, widely considered the best in baseball at his position, has had a dominant year in his first full season with San Diego, appearing in 38 games with a 0.91 ERA and 25 saves.

The 27-year-old has been a bright spot for a team that has disappointed after a promising start to the 2026 season. At the All-Star break, the Padres sit at 48-48 and are seventh in the National League wild-card standings.

Once again, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has a difficult choice to make regarding how the team will move at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

3-pitch Mason Miller K to end it!
🔥🔥🔥102.4 MPH🔥🔥🔥
🔥🔥🔥102.9 MPH🔥🔥🔥
🔥🔥🔥102.3 MPH🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5e2bq6H5pZ
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 12, 2026

When speaking to reporters during the MLB Draft, Preller refused to tip his hand.

“We’re going to go into the process open-minded to see what’s there and see what can help our club,” Preller said. “We’re going to go in open-minded about whether it’s acquiring players or looking at it if we have to go another direction. All those things are on the table.”

If the Padres do decide to sell, Miller will be a prime trade candidate. The Padres avoided arbitration in the pitcher's first year, with Miller under club control for three more years.

The potential haul the Padres could receive for Miller is appealing, but not as appealing as what they gave up to get him in 2025: A package that included No. 3 prospect Leo De Vries.

Preller was (obviously) delicate with his response when asked about the possibility of trading Miller.

“Let’s go get ready for Day 2 of the Draft [Sunday], and let’s go win a couple more games and hopefully put our team in a better spot,” Preller said. “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.

“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.”

Mason Miller leads every reliever in baseball with a 119 proStuff+, and a 0.91 ERA with zero homers allowed in 39 innings says the results are matching the nastiness. Louis Varland is next at 114. Jeff Hoffman is on the list with stuff that has not translated yet. pic.twitter.com/5pw4bLOd5O
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) July 13, 2026

The Padres will have a very important back half of July awaiting them after the All-Star break. If they can string together enough wins to inspire Preller's confidence, Miller will certainly remain in a Padres uniform.

If the Padres go the other way, though, and Preller is forced to consider selling, the Padres could start fielding calls on their All-World closer.

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