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The San Diego Padres have made another big splash at the MLB trade deadline. AJ Preller keeps his big move reputation by trading for Athletics closer Mason Miller ahead of Thursday's deadline. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears are headed to San Diego.
“BREAKING: The San Diego Padres are acquiring closer Mason Miller and starter J.P. Sears from the A's, sources tell ESPN,” Passan reported.
Miller burst onto the scene as the Athletics' closer in 2024. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting and made the All-Star Game thanks to his incredible velocity. He has not been as great this year while pitching in a hitter-friendly park. But the Padres are betting his velocity plays at Petco Park.
The Padres are fighting for a spot among many contenders in the National League Wild Card race. They started out hot, but have ceded a lot of ground to the Los Angeles Dodgers of late. Improving their bullpen and adding a decent starter to their rotation will help the Padres against teams like the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies.
The Athletics let go of one of their most valuable assets and got a lot back. Passan reported the return, “A's receive: SS Leodalis De Vries, RHP Braden Nett, RHP Henry Báez, and RHP Eduarniel Nuñez.”
Even with Jacob Wilson at short, the Athletics can use De Vries at a different position to get his bat in the lineup eventually. He has a .767 OPS in 82 high-A games this year and is the No. 3 prospect overall according to MLB Pipeline. However, Wilson hasn't graded out well defensively in his rookie season, so the A's might move him to second when De Vries is ready to come up.
The Athletics have some solid pieces on their MLB roster, including Nick Kurtz, Wilson, and Brent Rooker. That has not yielded results because they have not gotten great pitching. Picking up three pitchers for one reliever is a great way to solve that problem.
The MLB trade deadline is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and ClutchPoints has you covered all day long.
