The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a strong 30-13 start, currently in first place in the National League. The club is two names ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East led by stars like Bryce Harper, Zach Wheeler and Trea Turner. Despite their early success, a trade proposal by Bleacher Report would add another superstar to the mix: The Oakland Athletics‘ Mason Miller.
“The first thing to know about Miller is that, at least on a pitch-to-pitch basis, he’s the top hurler in Major League Baseball right now,” wrote Zachary D. Rymer in a May 15 story about potential landing spots for Miller in a trade.
The Phillies farm system ranked No. 22 before the season started. Acquiring Miller will not be cheap, especially without one of the best farm systems. The 25-year-old is still in the pre-arbitration stage of his deal. He is making just $740,000 in 2024. He will not be arbitration-eligible until 2026 and won’t be a free agent until after 2029.
“To acquire him, a team likely would need to give up a young player of comparable ability, or a substantial package of multiple youngsters who could be part of the A’s future,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote.
The trade Rymer proposed would send Miller to Philadelphia in exchange for three of the Phillies top five prospects, two of which are on the MLB Top 100 prospects list. The A’s would acquire pitcher Mick Abel, outfielder Justin Crawford and shortstop Starlyn Caba.
Abel is the Phillies No.3 prospect and MLB’s No. 63 prospect. Crawford is No.4 in the organization and No. 65 overall. Caba is No. 5 in the organization. The proposal does not send the Phillies No. 1 overall prospect, Andrew Painter, to Oakland.
“It’s hard to see Andrew Painter going anywhere while he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but this deal would net Oakland the Phillies’ second-best pitching prospect and the son of Carl Crawford. Not bad at all,” wrote Rymer.
The Phillies bullpen is already a strong group, but adding Miller would give them a chance to be the best in MLB.
“The Phillies are worth thinking about as a landing spot for Miller because of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s reputation,” wrote Rymer. “He’s done some huge trades in the past, and it feels like he’s overdue to add to the list.”
“The Phillies don’t have many problems right now, and you could even argue that their bullpen is the least of their worries,” wrote Rymer.
The Phillies current closer is José Alvarado. He is complimented by Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm in the bullpen as well.
“Since Kerkering came off the IL on April 14, the four of them have handled 42 innings and allowed only four earned runs,” wrote Rymer.
Adding Miller to that group would bring a superstar closer into the mix. Alvarado is eight for eight on save opportunities with a 3.57 ERA in 17 2/3 innings.
Miller has emerged as one of the best relievers in MLB this season. Miller has a 0.98 ERA in 18 1/3 innings across 14 games. He is eight for eight in save situations so far with a staggering 38 strikeouts.
Miller has not allowed a run since his first outing of the season and has pitched two innings in four outings this season. He would be a weapon for any team if he were traded.
