Padres Exec Reveals How Close Mason Miller Was to Transitioning to Starter

It was a discussion this offseason.

San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) tosses a football to warm up before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 6, 2026. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Mason Miller's blistering start to the 2026 as the San Diego Padres' closer almost didn't happen.

Mere months ago, there was talk early last offseason about Miller possibly transitioning to the starting rotation. The Padres were facing the loss of Dylan Cease in free agency, uncertainty around the health of Yu Darvish and counted their relief ace a viable option to start — if he was interested.

In a new interview with The Times of San Diego, senior advisor Trevor Hoffman revealed how close it came to happening.

"Hoffman said that decision went to the highest levels of baseball operations involving general manager A.J. Preller, but common sense ultimately ruled," writes Barry Bloom.

The raw numbers certainly helped Miller's case to start. Hoffman told Bloom that the Padres' front office looked carefully at the 27-year-old's ability to control the strike zone, evidence by his career 269-to-66 strikeout-to-walk rate (through Thursday).

Beyond that, Hoffman said the Padres thought Miller's three-pitch mix could handle the challenge of facing the same hitters two or more times in a game.

“He’s not one-dimensional, that’s for sure,” Hoffman told Bloom. “He’s got the plus gas. He’s got a really good slider that he can control. He added a good changeup, which he throws in the mid-90s. That’s most pitcher’s fastball. With that three-pitch mix I can see why they considered putting him in the rotation."

In the alternate universe in which Miller began the 2026 season in the Padres' starting rotation, it might lack the same spectacle of fun. Miller is off to a blistering start which, by some metrics, is unseen in the last century of MLB.

Besides his league-leading six saves (a 51-save pace), Miller has struck out a mind-blowing 23 of the first 30 batters he's faced. He's allowed only two baserunners — on a hit and a walk — and his negative-1.44 FIP is even less sustainable than his 0.00 ERA.

Hoffman, a Hall of Fame closer who pitched 16 of his 18 major league seasons in San Diego — and has a street named for him outside Petco Park — is a fan.

"Just the strikeout component is hard to relate to anybody," said Hoffman, who saved 601 games, a record at the time he retired. "Nobody’s doing that at this level. Nobody’s close to doing what he does right now.”

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.