Mason Miller, the game’s best closer with three-plus years of team control and confidence forever, tops even superstar pitcher Tarik Skubal to lead our list of the 15 most intriguing trade candidates.
There’s nothing not to like. Miller comes right at you with a 103 mph fastball that’s his second-best pitch after a lights-out slider. I asked him at the All-Star Game how he got so good after starting as a small-college guy throwing 85 mph, and he opened his palm to reveal his daily medicine. “Diabetes,” he said. They discovered it late, and he became a new pitcher.
I asked him about the Yankees, and he said he figured 29 teams would be interested in him. I imagine that’s true. The Yankees are clearly one that is, if he’s truly available.
The underachieving 50-53 Padres are on the bubble now. They have half a rotation due to injured starters (Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish), a couple of bloated contracts (Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado) and are trending down (2-5 in the second half). But they’re also on the fringe of the wild-card race, sell out beautiful Petco Park and have a new owner plus a well-known go-for-it style. They’re simultaneously looking into big-time buying while listening on Miller.
