3 teams who should mount ‘Herschel Walker-type trade’ for Mason Miller
![Jun 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Mason Miller (19) throws in the ninth inning against Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports Jun 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Mason Miller (19) throws in the ninth inning against Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3072,h_1728,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/229/01j2t1t9s7cy7e5zerhw.jpg)
The Oakland Athletics are in for a long road ahead as they prepare to continue their rebuild. They have pieces like Brent Rooker that they are very obviously looking to move, with other controllable pieces that they could move down the road. One of the questionable pieces for them to move is their closer, Mason Miller. Miller is under team control for the foreseeable future and is just 25 years old.
MLB insider Jon Heyman doesn't think Miller will get traded and frankly, not many people in baseball do. But there is a chance for it to happen and Heyman explained that possibility.
"With five more years, one exec says it’d take a “Herschel Walker-type trade” for the 103.7 mph man. Odds to go: 5-1 against (16 percent)," Heyman wrote.
Miller is one of the best closers in the game of baseball, dominating opposing teams at the end of games. Given his youth and team control, he would need an incredible, unprecendented haul of prospects to pull him out of Oakland.
Hard to find a better story in baseball that the @WUSandlot and @GWUBaseball alum Mason Miller. #Athletics https://t.co/3frPHFIM8A
— Zach Pressnell (@zpretzel) July 13, 2024
There are a few teams in the league that have the need and prospect capital to make a trade like this happen.
3. Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are one of the obvious three answers here.
They could use help in the bullpen as they make their push for the AL East, AL pennant and a World Series this season without their usual closer, Felix Bautista. Miller is the dream replacement for Bautista, especially considering the idea of having both flamethrowers in the same bullpen next year when Bautista returns.
Baltimore has the prospect capital to do it. They have so much young talent that they might not even know what to do with it all. It's as if all of their prospects are working out perfectly, destroying the minor leagues and then transitioning into everyday big leaguers.
But the issue here is that Baltimore doesn't want to part ways with their top five to seven prospects. They were able to acquire Corbin Burnes without losing one of these coveted young players, so they look to keep them in any deal this season too.
A Mason Miller deal likely wouldn't get done without one of Baltimore's top 100 prospects and the Orioles just don't seem eager to move any of them. So as much as Miller would fit in Baltimore, this may never work out.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the next team that has the prospect capital, the need for a reliever and the cuts it would take to pull this trade off. Los Angeles is in the market for a ton of different talent this season including starting pitching that may cost them a lot of prospect capital.
But if they were to pursue Miller, they have the assets to get it done. They have a few top pitching prospects that could be included in a deal for Miller as well as Josue De Paula or Dalton Rushing, who sit atop their system.
The Dodgers have the need for a reliever, with Miller being a perfect option to close games for the dominant Dodgers team over the next decade. They could pair him up with a few other electric arms in their bullpen in order to create one of the nastiest bullpen combinations in the 21st century.
The issue here is the fact that the Dodgers just have so many injuries that they will likely be looking to fill those holes on the team before addressing their bullpen with a blockbuster move like this would be.
1. Philadelphia Phillies
The most obvious and potentially the most likely option for Mason Miller to be dealt this year is in a deal to the Philadelphia Phillies. It just makes perfect sense on all fronts, besides one.
Philadelphia has a need for a closer and they have the prospect capital to go out and get a player of Miller's value. They have a ton of top 100 prospects and a deep farm system behind their top guys.
The Phillies have also backed off on Jazz Chisholm and Luis Robert trades, meaning they will add one of the cheaper outfielders at the deadline. This frees up more prospect capital to be moved in a blockbuster deal for somebody like Miller.
The Phillies are even flying him to the All-Star Game on their private jet in the coming days. What a kind gesture from the franchise to the pitcher that just closed down one of the games against them this week.
The one front that gets in the way is the Athletics' unwillingness to move their All-Star closer. I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to let him go either. If Miller isn't dealt to Philadelphia this year, it's because the A's didn't want to move him and they attached a price tag way too high on his name.
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