The 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline is Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. EST. And for the next two weeks, the Friar Faithful will be inundated with Mason Miller trade rumors. The media experts have the San Diego Padres as definite sellers and maintain the organization will trade Miller to the highest bidder.
Despite all the speculation, people are seeking the truth about what the Padres will actually do with baseball’s premier closer.
Miller is not your average trade deadline candidate
Miller is not your typical trade deadline candidate, as he is not eligible
to become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2026 season. In fact, the closer is under team control for three more seasons. Miller is arbitration-eligible for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 seasons.
No question, Miller is a bargain with a $4 million salary price tag for this season. But it is his dominance in the ninth inning that is the reason why he has become a hot commodity at the trade deadline for the second consecutive year.
Thus, the Padres have three options available: keep Miller, deal him to the highest bidder, or sign their closer to a long-term contract that buys out his arbitration years.
The latter might make the Friar Faithful increasingly pessimistic with the trade deadline less than 14 days away. But it is the right move.
Keep baseball’s best closer in America’s Finest City
The Padres have the best closer in baseball, but if they decide to trade him, the organization will not receive equal value in return. A year ago, Miller was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Athletics. The price tag was steep, as the Friars dealt Leo De Vries, who is considered one of the top minor league prospects.
Most contending teams rarely like breaking up their existing roster. They may offer a package that includes their organization’s third, fourth, and fifth-best pitching prospects. The return will not equal Miller or the potential value of De Vries, as you must account for giving up an elite five-tool talent the year before.
Miller is a building block
Instead, sign your star pitcher to a long-term deal and build around him. Young talent is working its way through the minor league system. Yes, the extension will be expensive, but the organization is securing the majors’ best closer in his prime at a fixed cost.
Good front offices negotiate deals that work for both sides. It is A.J. Preller’s job to find the number that Miller is willing to give up his arbitration years. You may have to be creative, such as deferring money that would lower the contract’s value in the MLB’s luxury tax system.
It is tough to figure out how the Miller dilemma will play out. He will be dealt if Preller can secure a dream package from another team.
However, keeping Miller long-term is the right move.
