Padres Could Be Forced to Consider Trading Mason Miller if Season Spirals, Says Insider

The 2026 season has started to get away from the San Diego Padres, with the team plummeting in the standings over the last few weeks.

After a hot start led to the Padres hanging around the top of the National League West, a recent drop has them now trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 15 games in the division. Adding insult to injury, the Padres are also dealing with a very crowded NL wild-card race, putting their playoff chances in danger.

The Padres have currently lost eight games in a row.

With the trade deadline coming up in less than a month, the big question around the league is what the Padres will do. Most people expect San Diego to be active, looking to add to the roster for a playoff push.

But Padres insider Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune has reported that if the season continues to spiral out of control, the Padres may need to consider trading star closer Mason Miller.

"They could be a couple weeks away from having to confront the wisdom of trying to turn Mason Miller into some sort of future help," Acee wrote.

This is not the first time that a trade of Miller has been discussed this season, and the Padres may have to face reality at some point. While having Miller gives San Diego one of the best bullpens in the game, it hasn't resulted in the team winning games.

Miller would be one of the major trade chips that the Padres could use to replenish the farm system, helping the franchise be set up well for the future. The Padres don't want to give up on Miller, especially since they just traded their top prospect for him last season.

However, doing so could result in a net positive for the big picture, rather than having a losing team with a star in the back of the bullpen. The situation with Miller will be one of the more fascinating parts of the Padres' next few weeks, with the entire league watching how the front office handles everything.

The right-hander has been great for the Padres this season, even getting some Cy Young buzz earlier in the year. Overall, Miller has put up an ERA of 1.01 over 35.2 innings pitched.

However, he's pitched just twice since June 24.

Should the Padres Trade Mason Miller?

Even with the team struggling, it does feel unlikely for them to actually move on from Miller. The Padres paid a heavy price at the deadline last year to land the closer, and he has discussed a desire to remain with the team long-term.

Miller has three more seasons of team control on his contract, which the Padres could use to their advantage. On the flip side, this would see the trade package that the team could get for him be increased, giving some thought to a deal potentially happening.

With the new ownership group in place, the Padres may have more financial freedom than in years past to keep a player like Miller. But justifying his place on the roster could be much tougher when the team isn't winning games.

Right now, it seems like a long shot for the Padres to move on from Miller, but if the losses keep piling up, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller could have a difficult decision to make. Under Preller, the Padres haven't been shy in making blockbuster moves, even trading away stars in the process.

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