Heading into the 2025 trade deadline, the Padres arguably sported the league's best bullpen.
Did that stop A.J. Preller from acquiring one of the game's most coveted and dominant relievers in recent memory? Absolutely not.
The baseball world was thwarted into a frenzy when news broke that the gun-slinging GM had landed flame-thrower Mason Miller and starter JP Sears from the Athletics. San Diego's four horsemen, a group that featured lefty Adrian Morejon along with right-handers Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, and then closer Robert Suárez had just gained a fifth.
It wasn't just thoughts of all the lights out stuff the Padres now possessed at the back end of their pen' that filled everyone's minds. It's who Preller gave up to bring Miller to America's Finest City. Highly-touted shortstop Leodalis De Vries, who, at the time, was San Diego's No. 1 prospect (No. 3 overall per MLB Pipeline) and a plethora of young pitchers were headed back to the A's in the blockbuster.
In a world where it’s unconventional to surrender a high-ceiling prospect at a premium position—like De Vries—for a reliever, the move had critics chirping about what the Padres might have lost.
Mason Miller discussed what the last 24 hours have been like for him, his reaction when he found out he was traded to the Padres and what it means to join a team in playoff contention: pic.twitter.com/6GZJlDTlYk
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) August 1, 2025
Fast-forward nine months, De Vries' departure almost seems like a distant memory.
Miller, who is currently riding one of the most dominant stretches of his Major League career, is simultaneously etching his name into the lineage of elite Padre closers.
Hall of Fame inductees Rollie Fingers and Rich "Goose" Gossage. Mark Davis, who notched 44 saves with a 1.85 ERA in '88 and took home a Cy Young Award as the Friars' ninth inning man. The gold standard of Friar closers Trevor Hoffman (HOF Class '18).
Honorable mentions include Heath Bell, Huston Street, Josh Hader and more. All come to mind when discussing San Diego's tradition of great relievers.
However, none held or possess what Miller does.
Miller burst onto the big league scene in April '23, showcasing a ridiculous 102 mph fastball. Not only was the tall righty throwing it consistently hard, but for strikes as well. He owns a career 60.8% first pitch strike percentage according to FanGraphs. This season, he's striking out hitters at a 65.9% clip. That ranks in the top one percent in the Majors.
His slider, which opposing batters are hitless off this season is utterly filthy. Miller currently generates a 75.6% whiff rate on it while making it his pitch of choice, using it 53.1% of the time.
Oh, and he recently added a changeup that ramps up to 97 mph. Simply baffling and unfair.
His numbers this season are video-game like. He's struck out 27 of 41 hitters faced in 12 1/3 innings thrown, giving him an eye-popping 19.70 K/9. He's surrendered just three hits along with two walks and leads the league with nine saves on the campaign.
Mason Miller strikes out the side to secure the save! pic.twitter.com/L1FJjtfA19
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2026
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Miller's dominant run, though, is the history he's aiming for in his next outing. In Thursday's 10-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies, the closer extended his consecutive scoreless streak to 33 2/3 innings, tying Cla Meredith's franchise record, set in '06.
His shot at jumping Meredith for the top spot in that category might come in Mexico City, when the Padres face the Arizona Diamondbacks at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in a quick two-game set.
The last time Miller allowed runs to cross the plate was August 5 of last season, giving up two against these same D-backs.
Miller's more than impressive early-season performance has garnered enough attention to the point where he's building a case to perhaps acquire Cy Young Award votes at season's end. No reliever has won the award since Eric Gagné accomplished the feat as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in '03.
Of course, Miller's chances at claiming the prized award would require the likes of Pirates ace Paul Skenes or the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto to falter. It might be improbable. Impossible? We'll find out later.
The Reaper, as many call him, has the tools to perhaps go down as the most dominant reliever in the history of San Diego baseball. There’s still a ways to go until then. However, the talent is undeniable.