Padres GM Discusses Mason Miller Potentially Moving to Starting Rotation in 2026

San Diego Padres general manager AJ Preller said Tuesday his club hasn't yet decided if relief ace Mason Miller could move into the starting rotation in 2026.

"That'll be between us and Mason," Preller said when asked about the possibility of Miller starting in the future (h/t 97.3 The Fan). "I think the good news is, he's one of the great talents in the game. He can do a lot of things on the mound. I think we've seen obviously the dominance with the fastball, slider mix, the change-up coming into play.

"We've had some success here, making guys starters... We'll see how the offseason plays out, roster-wise, and then we'll have some clearer direction for him over what that looks like."

The Padres acquired Miller, who is under team control through 2029, in a trade deadline deal with the A's.

The trade cost the Padres shortstop Leo De Vries, ranked at the time as MLB's No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, as well as three other pitching prospects.

Miller, who was coming off an All-Star 2024 campaign with the A's but had struggled in early 2025, didn't take long to prove why San Diego had given up such a major haul to acquire him. He posted a 0.77 ERA and 0.729 WHIP through 22 games and 23.1 innings pitched to close out the regular season.

The 26-year-old made two appearances in the Padres' NL Wild Card loss to the Chicago Cubs, during which he made history as the first pitcher to strike out the first eight batters faced in his postseason career (h/t Elias Sports).

Miller finished the postseason having held Chicago Cubs batters without a hit or walk through 2.2 innings on the mound.

"The only thing I said to Mason at the end of Chicago was, thankful for the way he performed and impressed with how he went about his business after a big trade," Preller said.

Nick Pivetta is set to return to the rotation next spring, and Joe Musgrove could make his comeback from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him last season.

On the other hand, Dylan Cease and Michael King are set to hit free agency this offseason. Yu Darvish struggled with injuries during his age-39 season, bringing into question what workload he and Musgrove can handle in 2026.

Miller started out his MLB career by making six starts for the A's in 2023 before transitioning to the bullpen.

Moving Miller back into the rotation could potentially allow the Padres to maximize the value of the trade that brought him to San Diego, but only if he is able to remain healthy and consistent when pitching more than one or two innings per game.

Preller, who has served in his role for the Padres since 2014, named King, Drew Pomeranz and Seth Lugo when thinking of relievers who successfully transitioned into starting roles during his tenure in San Diego. It sounds like Miller could potentially be next on that list if the Padres decide his highest value would be as a starter in 2026.