Padres' Mason Miller Predicted to Make MLB History in 2026

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Mason Miller was ranked as the 60th best player in Major League Baseball in ESPN's Top 100 list ahead of the 2026 season.

Miller, 27, was acquired by the Padres at last year's trade deadline in the blockbuster trade that sent San Diego's top prospect Leo De Vries to the Athletics.

Miller was untouchable after joining San Diego, allowing two earned runs over 23.1 innings for a 0.77 ERA. He enters the 2026 season as arguably the best closer in MLB.

"Once Miller joined the Padres, he became a cheat code disguised as a pitcher, freezing hitters with a fastball that has been clocked at 104 mph and a breaking ball which, because of the fastball, is simply unfair," the ESPN staff wrote. "Wearing a San Diego uniform, Miller faced 92 batters, including nine in the postseason, and of those, he struck out 53 -- that's a strikeout rate of nearly 60% -- and allowed seven hits and one home run. The wisdom of the Padres' trade of an elite position player prospect, Leo De Vries, for a reliever will be debated for years, but we already know this: San Diego has one of the most overpowering relievers in history."

ESPN's Buster Olney made a prediction for Miller, saying "he will post one of the best seasons ever for a relief pitcher" in 2026.

There were rumblings about Miller transitioning to a starting pitcher heading into this season, but the two sides decided he was better off being the team's shutdown closer, especially after the departure of Robert Suarez in free agency.

“Having the take of the pitcher himself — what he wants to do, where he feels comfortable — if there was a strong desire for him to start, we probably would have shifted and allowed him to do that,” Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla said. “But we also understand who we have in Mason Miller as possibly, arguably, the best closer in baseball.”

Miller will likely pick up right where he left off, as he was practically unhittable after putting on a Padres uniform.

This offseason was Miller's first year of arbitration-eligibility, so the Padres will have him under team control until 2030. That gives them plenty of time to potentially transition him to the rotation at some point.

“I’m focused on this year, of course,” Miller said. “We’ll always have conversations, and I love how good the communication is here. I don’t feel like decisions are being made without me being a part of them. … Hopefully, touch wood, we have a lot of time together here. And who knows where it goes?”

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI and follow us on X/Twitter and Facebook.