The Pittsburgh Pirates know the clock is ticking. With the trade deadline only a few weeks away and a postseason push still in play, they have to make a real move if they want to look like more than a team hoping things break right.
Bullpen help sits near the top of the shopping list, and Gregory Soto is not being viewed as the answer to finish games for a playoff club. That’s why Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report floated a bold idea with the San Diego Padres: bring in Mason Miller, one of the best closers in baseball, and pay for him with a fan favorite starter and a top prospect.
"Trade Proposal: Pittsburgh Pirates get RHP Mason Miller; San Diego Padres get RHP Jared Jones, OF Edward Florentino, (MLB No. 27)," Rymer proposed.
It’s the kind of deal that would force Pittsburgh to give up real talent. Florentino would be a painful loss, because he’s exactly the sort of prospect teams usually have to part with to land a reliever of Miller’s caliber.
But Miller’s production makes the pitch easy to understand. He owns a 0.89 ERA this season, along with 25 saves and 75 strikeouts in 40.2 innings pitched.
That’s the appeal: immediate impact at a position of obvious need. Miller has been one of the game’s best relievers over the last few seasons, and he’d give the Pirates a serious boost in the late innings.
The price, though, is steep. Jones is the other major piece going back to San Diego, and the 24-year-old right-hander is under club control through the 2029 season. He’s also a fan favorite, which only makes the idea harder to swallow.
Still, Pittsburgh does have a strong rotation even without him. Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, and Bubba Chandler give the club a solid core, and moving Jones could open the door for Carmen Mlodzinski to return to the starting rotation after thriving there early in the year.
For the Pirates, this is the kind of trade that lands squarely in the “expensive, but tempting” category. Miller would be a major upgrade, and at this price, it’s the sort of swing a team trying to contend has to at least consider.
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