The Padres Follow National League Teams In Adding Elite Arms To Their Already-Good Bullpen

[Bryan Jaeger]

This trade deadline has had a common occurrence in 2025: National League teams in contention for a World Series run added elite closers to strengthen their bullpens. Yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, and the New York Mets acquired Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals.

The San Diego Padres followed suit today by making a monster trade, acquiring Mason Miller from the Athletics. The Padres already had one of the best bullpens in MLB and added the best closer that was available. The Padres' bullpen ranks first in ERA (2.97), saves (36), and batting average against (.216)

Now the rich get richer, adding a 26-year-old fireballer. The righty has a 3.76 ERA, a 59:21 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 20 saves in 23 opportunities, but has only allowed hitters to bat .163 off of him. His stats are slightly down this season, but he's been pitching in a hitter-friendly minor league ballpark in Sacramento during home games. Sutter Health Park has the third most home runs (158) this season, compared to Petco Park, which has the seventh-least (95). 

Comparing these three National League bullpens
FanGraphs is predicting that the Phillies will slot Duran (2.01 ERA) into the closer role following setup pitchers Matt Strahm (2.98 ERA) and Orion Kerkering (2.72 ERA). Stats-wise, this is the weakest of the three World Series-contending teams. The Phillies will place newly acquired Tyler Rogers (1.80 ERA) from the San Francisco Giants and Helsley (3.00 ERA) in front of longtime Mets' closer Edwin Díaz (1.48 ERA). Rogers is a nasty sidearmer who has an impressive 38:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

The Padres' setup is predicted to have Miller close, and Robert Suarez, who leads MLB with 30 saves and 47 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings, moves into a setup role. Jason Adam (1.89 ERA) has been thriving coming in during the seventh inning all season, with 56 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings. The rest of the bullpen is just as impressive, with Adrian Morejon (1.63 ERA) with 50 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings, Jeremiah Estrada (2.59 ERA) with 66 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings, and David Morgan (2.08 ERA) with 24 strikeouts in 26 innings. 

The bullpen will continue to be one of the best in MLB. Amongst all pitchers, Miller leads MLB with the fastest average for his four-seam fastball (101.1 mph), while Suarez ranks 15th (98.4 mph), and Estrada ranks 19th (97.9 mph). So the Padres made a statement that they're all-in by acquiring Miller, adding more firepower to an already elite bullpen. The National League is going to be a fun watch in the second half of the season, and the Padres should be vying for the front of the pack.

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