New Mason Miller Trade Rumors Link Yankees, Phillies, Mariners as Potential Landing Spots

As the San Diego Padres continue to fade in the standings after a strong start to the season, Mason Miller's future with the club looks murky leading up to the trade deadline.

Appearing on Friday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Buster Olney cited two MLB executives who believes Miller will be traded by Aug. 3. Teams like the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners were listed as potential landing spots.

"I've had two executives with other teams tell me that they believe Mason Miller is gonna be traded," Olney said. "Look, the Mariners have the firepower to make a deal, but it may be that Miller's too expensive. I say watch the New York Yankees, with young starting pitcher Will Warren. Could be the anchor of a deal. Maybe the Philadelphia Phillies."

Even though the Padres are still well within range of challenging for playoff position, trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks by four games for the final wild card spot, their trajectory since May 1 doesn't suggest they're heading in the right direction.

The Padres went 18-7 in April and were one game back in the win column of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West after April 30.

Since then, the Padres are 31-42 entering play on Friday. The only NL teams with a worse record during that stretch are the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.

Another problem for the Padres that might force them to part with Miller is they don't have a lot of positive-value contracts to trade right now.

Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts are all in the midst of arguably the worst season of their careers, and all of them are signed to big-money contracts that run through at least the 2030 season.

Miller, on the other hand, is only making $4 million this season and has three more years of arbitration before hitting free agency after the 2029 season.

In addition to the multiple years of team control that enhance his value, Miller has been so dominant at the end of games he could swing a playoff series for a contending team.

The two-time All-Star owns a 0.86 ERA with nearly four times as many strikeouts (78) as hits allowed (21) in 41.2 innings this season. He has a 0.83 ERA in 62 appearances since joining the Padres in July 2025.

Among the potential landing spots mentioned for Miller, the Phillies would seem like the most aggressive team in pursuit of relief help. They rank 23rd in MLB in bullpen ERA, worst among any club with a winning record.

The Mariners' 51-52 record isn't much better than San Diego's, but the overall mediocrity of the AL has them just one game back in the loss column of the Texas Rangers for first place in the division.

New York has a strong bullpen that ranks second in MLB with a 3.06 ERA, but manager Aaron Boone is heavily reliant right now on David Bednar, Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz late in games.

Headrick has never pitched in the postseason in his MLB career, while Bednar and Cruz have a combined 9.2 innings of playoff experience. They have been effective with just two runs allowed, but you never know how they might respond if they are called upon regularly in close late-game situations in October.

Miller, with an incredible track record of dominance, could dramatically swing the playoff race for a team if the Padres decide now is the time to move him as they look to reset amid a disappointing season.