The Padres made a huge bet to land Mason Miller, and now the question is whether they can turn that move into something cleaner for the future. Miller was San Diego’s lone All-Star, carrying a 0.78 ERA and 21 saves when the rosters were announced, and he remains under club control for three more seasons.
That kind of profile gives the Padres leverage if A.J. Preller decides to move him again.
There are three deals worth at least kicking around.
The first sends Miller to Pittsburgh for Jared Jones. It’s not the kind of sprawling prospect package teams dream about, but the Pirates are the sort of club that guards its development depth closely, so a simpler one-for-one framework makes more sense here.
Pittsburgh was in the Wild Card race entering the second half even with a 4.48 bullpen ERA, fourth-worst in the NL, and Miller would instantly fix that problem. The Padres, meanwhile, would get a pitcher who has already returned from internal-brace surgery and has the stuff to sit near the front of a rotation.
Jones comes with risk because of the medical history, but he also fills a more valuable role over the course of a season. The catch is obvious: Pittsburgh would have to believe Miller can push it from interesting to true contender, especially with a possible Jones-Paul Skenes rotation pairing hanging in the balance.
The Brewers are the other obvious fit. Milwaukee has already reached out to San Diego about Miller, and if the Padres are looking for a deeper return, the framework would be Logan Henderson, Jeferson Quero and Eric Bitonti.
Henderson would be the headliner, and for good reason: he has a 3.05 ERA, a 31.8 percent strikeout rate and club control through 2031, and he could step into the Padres’ rotation right away. Quero brings a near-major-league catcher with defensive value and everyday upside.
Bitonti, Milwaukee’s No. 22 prospect, adds a different kind of upside as a 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter with corner-infield experience and real raw power. It’s a package that gives San Diego a starter, a catcher and a boom-or-bust bat without getting absurd.
Milwaukee might try to trim the third piece, but the Padres should push back there.
Then there’s the wild one: Miller and Xander Bogaerts to the Yankees for Ben Hess and Jace Avina. This is where San Diego uses Miller not just as an elite closer, but as a way to escape Bogaerts’ contract, which still has $175 million attached from 2027 through 2033.
That move would change the Padres’ payroll picture overnight. Hess, New York’s No. 5 prospect, is a 6-foot-5 right-hander with starter traits and swing-and-miss stuff.
Avina is a Double-A outfielder whose stock has risen thanks to a strong season and power at the plate. They are not Carlos Lagrange or Spencer Jones, and that matters because the Yankees would be taking on a massive financial burden in Bogaerts.
Still, New York would get Miller as its long-term closer, and Bogaerts would be the very expensive price of doing business.
In Other News...
Padres Bullpen Shakeup Just Raised The Stakes For A Fringe Contender
A one-run loss to Atlanta only sharpened the scrutiny around a Padres bullpen that has already been in motion. Chris Sale handled San Diego for six innings, punching out 11, and then the front office moved quickly afterward, dealing reliever Ron Marinaccio as the club continued to sort through the back end of the staff.
The bigger question now is how far that reshaping goes before the deadline. Reports have already put closer Mason Miller in the trade conversation, and the Padres are also weighing Griffin Cannings place on the roster, which leaves this fringe contender trying to balance urgency with uncertainty at the exact moment every bullpen decision feels magnified. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Bullpen Just Took Another Brutal Jason Adam Setback
Jason Adams absence is starting to linger in a way the Padres would rather not see from one of their most trusted bullpen arms. The right-hander has been out with a shoulder strain, and what had looked like a possible mid-August return now feels much less certain. Before the injury, Adam had been a steady late-game option for San Diego, working to a 2.51 ERA across 36 appearances and giving the club a level of reliability it has leaned on all season.
For a bullpen that has already had to absorb some wear, the timing makes the setback sting a little more. Jeremiah Estrada is expected back soon after getting through a Triple-A outing during his recovery from a knee injury, which at least offers a potential reinforcement in the near term. Even so, Adams situation leaves the Padres waiting on one of the arms they count on most, and the next step in his recovery still matters as much as anything else in the relief mix. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Suddenly Linked To One Tigers Star Fans Feared Losing
The Padres are expected to spend the run-up to the August 3 trade deadline looking for help in the rotation, and that search has now produced a name that would instantly change the conversation. Tarik Skubal, the Tigers left-hander who has become one of the most coveted arms in the sport, has been linked as a possible target if Detroit decides to listen, giving San Diego a high-end option in a market where starting pitching always comes at a premium.
Detroits place in the playoff race is what makes the situation so tricky, because the Tigers are not operating like a club eager to sell. Even so, Skubals looming free agency keeps the door from shutting completely, and for the Padres the appeal is obvious: a chance to chase a frontline starter with impact now, even if the price would be steep and the fit far from simple. [Read more 🡒]