One of the biggest names traded last summer is once again a candidate for a deadline blockbuster.
Chatter has surfaced about whether the San Diego Padres will consider shopping Mason Miller a year after acquiring the shutdown closer from the Athletics for top prospect Leo De Vries. At 46-46, San Diego must leapfrog four teams to secure a National League wild-card spot.
Could Padres general manager A.J. Preller sell Miller? Several anonymous MLB executives discussed the possibility with MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
"As far as A.J. goes, the only thing I know is I don’t know," an American League executive told Feinsand.
The Padres lost eight consecutive games before ending the skid to win three of their last four. One National League executive believes the slump should compel the Padres to deliberate a Miller trade, even if they don't receive a player on par with the prized young talent they relinquished for him.
"They have to consider it if they keep playing like this," the executive said. "They won’t get De Vries type value back for him, but they’ll still do well if they trade him."
However, other executives think the Padres will only consider moving Miller if they sink further down the standings in July.
"I think they would really have to slide in order to move him,” an NL exec said. “I’m not sure they would be able to recoup the prospect level they acquired him for last Deadline, since there are few teams that are as aggressive as Preller at the Deadline.”
"I don’t think he will unless they really fall out of it,” an AL executive said. “It feels like he is going to do everything he can to stay in it as opposed to trying to reset."
Two executives speculated that Miller could fetch a pair of top-100 prospects. One wasn't sure the Padres would feel tantalized enough by that return to pounce, and the other said he could "definitely see" Preller considering the pivot despite not hearing anything about San Diego making him available.
At the moment, most people around the league don't seem to consider it likely that San Diego will trade an All-Star with a 0.96 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings this season. Yet Preller's peers know not to dismiss the possibility of a bold move.
"They probably have lines on everyone and would only jump in something if it opened up an avenue to improve the team in another way," an NL executive said. "I don’t think there’s any universe they all-in sell, but you never know what individual move might or might not happen."