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Buster Olney
The San Diego Padres have acquired Mason Miller in a trade with the Athletics, adding the hard-throwing reliever to their already talented bullpen.
The Padres also received left-handed starter JP Sears in the deal, while the A’s landed 18-year-old minor league shortstop Leodalis De Vries, the No. 3 prospect in baseball, and right-handers Braden Nett, Henry Báez and Eduarniel Nuñez.
Miller, 26, has 20 saves and a 3.76 ERA in 38 appearances this season. The right-hander’s fastball has averaged 101.1 mph in 2025.
A month ago, the perception of executives was that the A’s would not trade Miller.
But the relief market prices have exploded, making it more palatable for the A’s to swap Miller, who has 59 strikeouts in 38⅓ innings. Sears is 7-9 with a 4.95 ERA, and the Padres’ thought is that he will add depth that enables them to potentially move starter Dylan Cease.
An All-Star for the A’s in 2024, Miller joins a San Diego bullpen that already boasts a pair of All-Star right-handers: closer Robert Suarez and top setup man Jason Adam.
Suarez, who leads the majors with 30 saves, could also potentially be traded before Thursday’s deadline. San Diego has been talking to other teams about Suarez, in a market in which the Mariners, Tigers, Dodgers and Yankees are looking for bullpen help and the Astros, Cubs and Mets have been looking for rotation help.
The Padres have also had extensive talks with the Red Sox about Jarren Duran and with the Guardians about Steven Kwan.