The San Diego Padres are staring at a deadline dilemma that goes way beyond one player. Mason Miller has become the name drawing the loudest buzz, but the real twist is what the team might try to solve by moving him.
San Diego sits at 48-49 and 3.5 games out of the final National League wild-card spot, and that standing has opened the door to some uncomfortable thinking. Miller is the best reliever in baseball and still has three more years of team control, which means he could bring back a major return. At the same time, the Padres have some farm system issues to address and a payroll picture that remains murky under the new ownership group.
According to Padres insider Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, team officials are at least considering whether Miller could be part of a larger deal that helps them shed Xander Bogaerts’ contract.
Bogaerts is still owed seven years on the 11-year, $280 million deal he signed before 2023, with $25.4 million due each season after the conclusion of the 2026 season. Acee wrote, "One question being kicked around at Petco Park is whether moving Miller as part of a package that includes Bogaerts is a proposition too beneficial to pass up," Acee wrote. "It is practically a foregone conclusion that the Padres will eventually find a way to get out from under a portion of the $25 million they owe their underperforming 33-year-old shortstop each of the next seven seasons.
"If someone were willing to take on some of Bogaerts’ salary - and Bogaerts waived his no-trade clause - it might tip the scales."
That kind of move would be hard to stomach, especially with Miller posting a 0.89 ERA this season. But the appeal is obvious: more financial breathing room and more flexibility for the future.
Bogaerts arrived in San Diego with plenty of optimism after making four All-Star teams with the Boston Red Sox, but his three-plus seasons with the Padres have not matched the expectation that came with the deal. This season, he is hitting .224 with nine home runs, 38 RBIs and an OPS of .645.
For now, the idea of getting out from under that contract this early still sounds unlikely. Even so, it is being discussed, and that alone says plenty about how much the Padres have to sort through before the deadline.
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Still, trade chatter has a way of forcing front offices to weigh what they want against what might be available, and this one has enough intrigue to linger. The idea of dealing a high-end arm for a controllable young pitcher who has already built a following, plus a promising outfield prospect, is the kind of proposal that can make a team pause even if it hates the premise from the start. [Read more 🡒]
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His value goes beyond one spot. He has already logged time at first base, second base, third base, left field, center field and right field this season, and his contract control only adds to the appeal. For a Padres front office that has shown plenty of interest in cost-controlled, multi-use pieces, the idea makes sense on paper, even if no trade has been confirmed and the market is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]