Padres Predicted to Trade Mason Miller, But Not Before the Deadline

The San Diego Padres are 55-53, and suddenly look like they'll be buyers with the trade deadline quickly approaching.

With that being said, San Diego has the worst ranked farm system in MLB, and could be forced to trade from their big league roster to fix some of their biggest holes.

If they do that, Mason Miller would be opposing team's top trade target, as he is by far the team's most valuable trade asset.

The Padres could get a massive haul for the 27-year-old, but at the same time, they likely need him to make a postseason run.

That's why Bob Nightengale of USA Today predicts Miller will eventually be traded —but not before the Aug. 3 deadline. Instead, he believes a deal is more likely to happen during the offseason.

"The Padres, who bought Juan Soto one trade deadline, and dumped him 1½ years later, are in the same predicament," Nightengale wrote.

"They’d love to keep Miller, who’s under control through 2029, but his value is closing out games for a championship contender. ... Now, the Padres have to face reality and ask themselves if they’re a legitimate playoff team.

"The decision: They decide to keep Miller for now, but then trade him during the winter, creating a fierce bidding war."

Miller is one of the more highly coveted names ahead of the deadline.

Although the Padres are making a strong push for the postseason, reports indicate the Friars could deal Miller to pursue help across the roster, especially in the starting pitching department.

While Miller has been valuable to the team, the Padres' starting pitching is disastrous. As things stand, the Friars rank 26th in starting pitcher ERA (4.66) and 29th in quality starts, with only 18.

As for Miller, he's the best closer in baseball, sporting a 0.79 ERA across 45.2 innings with 85 strikeouts. He's a perfect 28-for-28 in saves.

Padres Rotation is Running on Fumes

The Padres are solely relying on Michael King and Walker Buehler as far as starting pitchers go. Outside of that, San Diego has what is essentially an 11-man bullpen, with a handful of them going multiple innings.

Help is on the way with the additions of Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, but expecting them to shoulder a heavy workload immediately after returning from injury may be asking too much.

Musgrove is recovering from Tommy John surgery from October 2024, while Pivetta is on the 60-day injured list from a right elbow flexor strain.

Pivetta recently threw live batting practice and is targeting a potential minor league rehab assignment in early August. Musgrove appears to be close behind him.

Nevertheless, if the Padres are serious about being a postseason contender this year, they need to add at least one starting pitcher.

To get that, though, Nightengale doesn't believe they'll be giving up Miller.

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