Mason Miller Reportedly Linked to Mets, Yankees, Phillies amid MLB Trade Rumors

The Athletics have reportedly "focused on teams with top-end young pitching" in talks for closer Mason Miller, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, but their asking price remains high.

According to that report, "From the Philadelphia Phillies, the A's asked for Andrew Painter, according to sources briefed on the discussions," though that was likely a non-starter for Philly given that Painter is one of the top prospects in the sport.

Rosenthal also noted that the New York Yankees "also have been involved in the talks, but are more focused on adding pitching than subtracting it," and the "New York Mets, whose farm system includes perhaps more elite young arms than the Yankees, are also a team in the mix."

The San Diego Padres also entered the race for Miller, with Rosenthal and The Athletic's Dennis Lin reporting Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is "pushing" for the A's closer.

Miller, 26, has emerged as one of the top closers in the sport over the past two seasons with 48 saves in 54 attempts dating back to 2024. For his career he has a 3.16 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 136.2 innings.

Just as importantly as his ability to close down the ninth inning is the fact that he's under club control through the 2029 season, which is why the Athletics appear poised to ask for a small fortune to part with him.

It's no secret that the Phillies, Yankees and Mets are all desperate for bullpen help, meanwhile.

Philadelphia's offseason signing of Jordan Romano has been an enormous bust, while José Alvarado is currently suspended and ineligible for the postseason, though he'll return in August for the close of the regular season. The Phillies recently signed veteran David Robertson to address the issue, but another reliable late-game arm is required.

The Yankees' bullpen has been an absolute mess, meanwhile, and they've been routinely linked to various relievers in the past week:

And while the Mets perhaps aren't in quite as dire straits in the bullpen as either the Phillies and Yankees—especially after adding Tyler Rogers on Wednesday—the team's bullpen also gave up six runs in Tuesday's loss to the San Diego Padres and a walk-off hit on Monday night, costing them the first two games of the series.

The addition of Rogers probably takes them out of the Miller sweepstakes, however.