Will the Padres Actually Trade Mason Miller? A.J. Preller Isn't Hanging Up the Phone

The San Diego Padres fielding trade calls on Mason Miller is the baseball equivalent of taking offers on your car's steering wheel while driving down the highway. MLB Trade Rumors just floated the possibility of a deadline blockbuster, and the fact that it is not an immediate joke tells you everything you need to know about the current market.

General Manager A.J. Preller recently addressed the noise, giving the exact kind of quote that keeps group chats awake at night. He acknowledged that other teams are calling about the elite closer because he is the best in the game, before adding that San Diego intends to keep him for a long time. In front-office speak, that translates to a massive price tag, not a dial tone.

"

""Obviously, Mason is the best in the game. So you’re always going to have people that are going to be interested..." - A.J. Preller"

You do not have to look hard to see why the Padres might be tempted to listen. San Diego is currently grinding through a brutal stretch, dropping two of three games to the Kansas City Royals recently and battling the Atlanta Braves to a standstill this week.

The real issue is an injury report that currently reads like a CVS receipt. Manny Machado is hobbling around on a bad toe, and the pitching staff is a triage unit. With Joe Musgrove still working his way back from Tommy John surgery and half the bullpen on the injured list, the Padres need healthy arms immediately.

Moving Miller would be a chaotic pivot. San Diego acquired him just last year to be the ultimate ninth-inning cheat code. Trading away a guy who throws absolute gas is how you start a fan revolt, unless the return package instantly fixes three other holes on the roster.

For anyone holding a ticket on San Diego's postseason futures, this is the ultimate sweat. A bullpen without Miller turns every one-run lead into a coin flip, drastically altering how you have to view their late-game reliability in a tight playoff race.

The August 3 trade deadline is approaching fast, and desperation makes front offices do funny things. We will see if a contender gets reckless enough to meet Preller's asking price, or if Miller stays put to lock down whatever leads the Padres can actually hand him.