The Yankees’ chase for San Diego pitching may be getting wider, not narrower.
Mason Miller has been the name hanging over Yankees-Padres trade chatter for weeks, but it still never really felt like the Padres were ready to move him. San Diego gave up one of the best prospects in the game to get Miller at last deadline, and even with the team’s current position, there’s a strong case for holding the right-hander for at least another season.
That doesn’t mean the Padres are standing pat. Miller is still the biggest name linked to them, but other pieces appear to be in play as well.
Former Yankee Wandy Peralta has been mentioned. Left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon is another name out there.
A move involving Xander Bogaerts’ contract was also floated previously.
There’s a reason the rumor mill keeps spinning. San Diego is carrying a bloated payroll and working through an ownership transition, which makes almost anything feel possible before the Aug. 3 deadline.
And then came the latest wrinkle. According to Padres insider Kevin Acee, San Diego is "showing interest" in Yankees starts Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. That raised eyebrows immediately, because it could point to something bigger than a straightforward one-for-one idea.
The Padres are showing interest in both Will Warren and Ryan Weathers, per @sdutKevinAcee. pic.twitter.com/ScUdPuOS4t
- Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) August 1, 2026
On their own, Warren and Weathers do not look like the centerpiece of a Mason Miller deal, especially after what Tarik Skubal went for on Saturday night. They also don’t line up neatly as the main return for a reliever like Morejon or Peralta.
One version feels too light. The other feels too heavy.
That’s why the more interesting possibility is an expanded deal. Could Bogaerts be involved?
Michael King? Fernando Tatis Jr.?
Those are the kinds of names that would make a larger framework at least worth considering, even if there’s no reason to assume they’re actually available or attainable.
If the Yankees are taking on rentals or a bigger financial commitment - whether that means Miller’s increasingly expensive arbitration track or money still owed to Bogaerts or Tatis Jr. - then Warren and/or Weathers make sense as a starting point, with prospects layered in behind them.
Or maybe this is simply the price for an elite rental reliever like Morejon. It’s also possible the Padres value Warren and Weathers more than Yankees fans do. Right now, nobody knows for sure.
What is clear is that the clock is ticking, and after losing the most win-now option, the Yankees-Padres conversation is one to keep close. A bigger trade is very much in play.
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