Mason Miller Interested in Extension With Padres, But No Talks Yet: Exclusive

The San Diego Padres shocked the baseball world last July when they traded for All-Star closer Mason Miller just ahead of the 2025 deadline.

The Padres gave up a haul for the hard-throwing right-hander, trading one of the game's best prospects in Leo De Vries as well as three other top prospects — right-handed pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Báez and Eduarniel Nuñez — to the Athletics for Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears.

The move sent shockwaves across the league as San Diego traded the league's No. 3 prospect at the time for a relief pitcher. However, Miller was no ordinary relief pitcher, and is proving that early in his Padres tenure, carrying a 28.2 scoreless innings streak since August of last season.

Miller's contract situation was also favorable to San Diego, as he was getting set to enter his first year of arbitration-eligibility at the time of the trade.

The Padres avoided arbitration with Miller this past offseason, agreeing to pay him $4 million in 2026. He has three more years of arbitration-eligibility before hitting free agency in 2030.

Will the two sides even wait to get there, though?

Miller has established himself as the best closer in baseball, and is a true weapon coming out of the San Diego bullpen. While the team has plenty of time before they need to try to extend him, it wouldn't hurt to get those conversations started.

So, have they?

“No, that hasn’t been really discussed," Miller told Padres On SI in an exclusive conversation. "I think they’ve hinted at some interest in it, but to your point, they do have me for the next three years also, so this isn’t something that’s like, ‘This guy’s out of here in a year and a half or this season.’ So I think there’s some comfort in that."

Miller then, unprompted, discussed his love for San Diego, which has already become home for him less than a year after the trade.

“I love it here," Miller said. "My wife and I love it here. It’s really just a special place from a city perspective, but also just the stadium and the fans. It’s a beautiful place to play."

While Miller knows there's no rush to lock down any sort of extension, he admitted that "in a perfect world," he would love to have that security.

“I mean, in a perfect world, everybody wants to have that extension and have that kind of peace of mind about where you’re gonna be," Miller said. "But I’m okay with where I’m at right now. I kind of knew the hammer would fall on my time with the A’s. I didn’t know when it was going to be, but just historically that’s kind of the way it looked.

"So getting out of there — and I know that the Padres would have no problem carrying me through arbitration — I feel pretty secure in that I’ll be a Padre for several seasons now. And I think I’ve found enough comfort in that at this point.”

Miller is in the midst of a historic start to the 2026 season, striking out 19 of the first 24 batters he's faced while allowing just one hit and one walk. His first 7.1 innings of the year have been beyond dominant, and at 27 years old, he seems to only be getting better.

The Padres would be wise to open talks with Miller, as his price tag is only going to go up. With the team in the midst of a franchise sale that could conclude by the end of April, a new owner should have a Miller extension near the top of their to-do list.

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