Miller had settled on 22, the date two Octobers ago when he married his wife, Jordan. Maybe it was fitting that it happened to be the same number still worn by a certain New York Mets star; the weekend would mark the third anniversary of outfielder Juan Soto\u2019s acquisition by San Diego.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Miller\u2019s imposing presence served as a reminder of two other not-so-distant blockbusters.<\/p>\n
Nine summers ago, the Chicago Cubs sent a four-player package led by top shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres to a retooling New York Yankees team in exchange for a few months with 6-foot-4 closer Aroldis Chapman. It was less than a week later that the Yankees shipped 6-foot-7 setup man Andrew Miller to Cleveland, receiving top outfield prospect Clint Frazier and touted pitching prospect Justus Sheffield as part of the return. That fall, Chapman and Andrew Miller took down many of the highest-leverage innings for their respective clubs in the 2016 World Series.<\/p>\n
Soon, Mason Miller might have a similar opportunity. The Padres paid a steep price<\/a> \u2014 top shortstop prospect Leo De Vries and pitching prospects Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel N\u00fa\u00f1ez \u2014 to add the 6-foot-5 right-hander and his four-plus years of club control to a league-leading bullpen that already featured three All-Stars. Team officials believe Miller can someday return to being a starter, a role he briefly held as a rookie, but general manager A.J. Preller\u2019s latest deadline blockbuster was about, more than anything, the immediate future.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a super talented pitcher,\u201d Preller said, \u201cand I think \u2026 the focus now is, go do his job that he\u2019s been so good at doing in the bullpen and help us win a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a decidedly modern vision. Hours before the deadline, the Padres entered Thursday needing a left fielder, a catcher and, they could have argued, another reliever. They ended up getting all of that plus a bit more<\/a>. Yet, despite Miller\u2019s ninth-inning experience, they did not move the likely expiring contract of closer Robert Suarez. And they reserved their heaviest spending for what has traditionally been deemed the sport\u2019s most fungible asset.<\/p>\n They were not alone. As teams loaded up for another October with an expanded postseason, relievers ruled the deadline like never before. The Mets dealt a total of eight prospects to three teams for Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto. The crosstown Yankees, through equally voluminous transactions, landed Camilo Doval, David Bednar and Jake Bird. In the eyes of some scouts, the Philadelphia Phillies forked over a pair of top-100 prospects for Jhoan Duran.<\/p>\n But it was Miller, one of 10 current or former closers traded in a weeklong span, who commanded the largest return. De Vries has a case as the highest-ranked prospect ever dealt for a reliever<\/a>. More modest evaluations of the teenager, who might not stay at shortstop, still project rare upside.<\/p>\n That potential convinced the A\u2019s to surrender the sport\u2019s hardest thrower. After encountering resistance in their pursuit of Miller, Preller and assistant general manager Josh Stein put their own previously off-limits player up for discussion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a player the caliber of De Vries to get our attention and get us to the negotiating table. \u2026 In Mason\u2019s case, we knew it was going to take something special,\u201d A\u2019s general manager David Forst told reporters after the trade deadline. \u201cWhen the Padres suggested they were open to including Leo, that\u2019s kind of when this got serious.\u201d<\/p>\n Leo De Vries, now a member of the Athletics organization, is one of the highest-ranked prospects ever traded for a reliever. (Matt York \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/leo_de_vries_AP25058841843555-1-scaled.jpg\")
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