The San Diego Padres are trying to decide what their trade deadline strategy should be, and that could involve trading star reliever Mason Miller after all.
The Padres are at least considering whether they would trade Miller as part of a package that also gets them out from under Xander Bogaerts’ contract, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Padres still owe Bogaerts roughly $175 million over the next seven years, and it is considered a “foregone conclusion” that they will find a way to get at least some of that salary off the books.
The Padres are not necessarily eager to move Miller, and have made public statements regarding their commitment to him. However, another team’s willingness to take on a large portion of the Bogaerts may “tip the scales” and compel the Padres to move Miller.
The Bogaerts contract has become an expensive mistake for the Padres with no clear escape route. The 33-year-old has seen his numbers decline over the last few seasons, and he is hitting just .224 with nine home runs on the season so far. The team has been willing to trade him for over a year, but nobody else wants that contract unless they are given some sort of incentive to take it on.
Miller could be that incentive. The 27-year-old has allowed just four earned runs in 39.2 innings of work this season while striking out 72. He is as close as it gets to automatic for a closer and could fortify any contender’s bullpen. Interested teams would just have to swallow a bad contract to perhaps make it happen.
