Yankees Sent Scouts to Padres Game as Trade Deadline Nears

The big question around the San Diego Padres with less than two weeks to go until the trade deadline is how the front office plans to approach everything.

For so long, many believed that the Padres would look to buy, giving their team a better chance to compete for a postseason spot. But the Padres have fallen in the standings, now sitting 2.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the National League.

This could push the team to become sellers at the deadline, with the main trade chip that the Padres have being star closer Mason Miller.

Miller has seen his name thrown into trade rumors over the last few weeks, and if the Padres were to move him, they could receive a nice haul.

The team most linked to Miller this summer has been the New York Yankees, and the connection seems to be heating up. According to insider Randy Miller of NJ.com, the Yankees sent scouts to watch the Padres against the Kansas City Royals in the opening series of the second half.

"The Yankees have two major-league scouts in Kansas City for this weekend’s Royals-Padres series," Miller wrote. "They’re there tracking players who could be moved before baseball’s 6 p.m. Aug. 3 trade deadline, which is two weeks from Monday. They’re there for Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller, baseball’s best reliever."

The Yankees have a need in the back of the bullpen, and Miller seems to be the target of the group. New York went hard after Miller last summer before he was ultimately traded to the Padres, so the Yankees' front office may look to try to land him again.

"NJ.com is hearing the Yankees will aggressively pursue Miller after being outbid last summer by the Padres, but they’ll probably have a lot of competition from other contenders craving a lights-out closer who’s controllable through four postseasons," Miller wrote.

The closer has been excellent this season for the Padres, posting an ERA of 0.89 over 40.2 innings pitched. Miller has been perfect in save chances this season as well, recording 25 out of 25 opportunities.

While the Padres don't want to trade Miller, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller left the door open for a Miller trade when speaking to reporters during the MLB Draft.

“We’re going to go into the process open-minded to see what’s there and see what can help our club,” Preller said. “We’re going to go in open-minded about whether it’s acquiring players or looking at it if we have to go another direction. All those things are on the table.”

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