The San Diego Padres slipped under the .500 PCT after 101 games after their 51st loss of the season to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. They are fourth from the bottom in the overall National League standings. Their performance so far this year has pointed towards being sellers at the upcoming the trade deadline.
One of the names on the trade bloc will be Mason Miller, who has emerged as one of the best relievers in the sport. In 39 appearances, Miller has a 0.89 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with a 48.4% strikeout rate. With three years of club control left and Miller earning just $4 million this year, he will be courted by many teams.
A trade package for someone like Miller will drain plenty of resources. However, teams can go a different path.
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With the Padres also looking to shed some payroll, veteran Xander Bogaerts’ form has come under much scrutiny. He has .261/.326/.389 while averaging 12 home runs per season since 2023 when he signed his massive 11-year, $280 million contract. He is hitting at a career-low .220 average and .639 OPS through 96 games.
According to SNY’s Sal Licata, a team like the New York Yankees could choose to take on Miller and Bogaerts in a trade package by eating up the latter’s contract.
“I’d be willing to, if I were the Yankees—actually, the Mets too, but let’s keep this to the Yankees—go all in for Mason Miller by taking on Xander Bogaerts,” Licata said. “I talked to you about this earlier, Jim. It makes too much sense to me. Like, “Oh, Bogaerts’ contract is so bad.”
“Yeah, would you rather give up a boatload of prospects to have Mason Miller for three years of control beyond this year, or take on the bad salary from Bogaerts, which is seven years, 25 million remaining, I’m pretty sure, which is obviously bad, but you’re then paying basically for Mason Miller, who you’re going to have for free for three and a half years?”
Licata also suggested that the prospect pool that the Yankees might save could be used to pursue the biggest name in the market, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
“If I’m the Yankees, I take on the bad contract, get Miller, and then take those prospects and get Skubal if he were made available,” he added.
Jim Duquette says new CBA deal could factor into Yankees taking on Xander Bogaerts contract for Mason Miller
The MLB is a few months from the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). With a new deal yet to be fianlized, former Mets general manager stated that taking on a new contract could become too risky.
“I think, though, it becomes difficult when you don’t know what the structure of the sport’s going to be next year and the salary cap and all of that, to take on that extra money. You’d have really almost zero flexibility,” Duquette said.
“So, you do that by saying, “Yeah, I’ll take the player, but I can’t give up much back.” And how can I afford it within the structure that I don’t even know about moving forward? So it really becomes hard, I think.”
The league suugested a $245.3 million salary cap and a $171.2 million floor for the 2027 season. During the MLB Draft, the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) formally submitted a comprehensive counter-proposal with both sides now at a deadlock.
Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy