The New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies declined to meet the Athletics' price for Mason Miller before the 2024 All-Star closer was dealt to the San Diego Padres ahead of last Thursday's trade deadline, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The Yankees reportedly balked at the Athletics' ask of top prospects George Lombard Jr. or Spencer Jones as headliners in a package that also would have included young pitchers. The Yankees ended up landing David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird, but they've lost four straight since the deadline due to multiple bullpen meltdowns. Bird was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday after giving up seven runs in three appearances with his new club.
The Phillies didn't want to include top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, reports Rosenthal. Philadelphia pivoted to Jhoan Duran to bolster its bullpen in a deal that shipped Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait to the Minnesota Twins.
The Mets and Athletics had "substantial" discussions about a Miller trade, a source told Rosenthal. However, that deal never materialized and the Mets ended up adding relievers Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, and Gregory Soto.
The Padres picked up Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears by trading Leo De Vries, the No. 3-ranked prospect in baseball by MLB.com, plus right-handers Braden Nett, Henry Baez, and Eduarniel Núñez to the Athletics.
Miller, who's under team control through the 2029 season, owns a 3.14 ERA with 48 saves and 13.2 K/9 over three years in the majors. The 26-year-old sits in the 100th percentile in fastball velocity and strikeout percentage.
