The Reaper Has Arrived; Mason Miller Is An Elite Closer Today, But Could Be An Elite Starter Tomorrow

The Padres have done it again! General manager A.J. Preller continues to live up to his reputation as one of the most active General Managers in baseball. This year, the headline acquisition is Sacramento Athletics’ flame-throwing closer, Mason Miller. The cost was steep, as San Diego sent their top prospect, Leo De Vries, to Sacramento in return for Miller. Clearly, Preller did not read my recent deadline article pleading for San Diego to hold onto their farm system; however, a return of Miller gives the Padres' pitching staff a very exciting future. 

Combining his 2024 and 2025 seasons, Miller has put up: 

103.1 IP / 48 SV / 2.43 FIP / 40.8 K% / 9.8 BB% / 69 LOB%

With just one of the six Padres' All-Star midseason acquisitions since 2021 still on the roster (Luis Arraez), Preller had to adjust his game plan in 2025. Instead of going big on a one or two-year rental, the front office decided to spend a little bit more and grab a player who will help them win this year and beyond. Here’s what Mason Miller's future in a Padres uniform could look like. 

The best assets Miller is bringing to San Diego (besides his 104 mph fastball) are his controllability and contract. He is still earning the minimum salary and won’t reach free agency until 2030. Arbitration seasons will increase his annual salary over time, but he’ll remain an affordable talent. Bringing in a controlled arm was crucial for the Padres' future. Current closer, Robert Suarez, is a free agent at the end of the year, and they had to get away from their trend of acquiring uncontrolled talent. 

Utilizing his team control, San Diego has some exciting options on what they can do with a pitcher as electric as Miller. The righty reliever has the biggest arm in baseball with a 101.1 mph average fastball in 2025. The production backs up the velocity, too, as he sits at second in MLB with a 39.1% strikeout rate in 20 saves. 

With this kind of talent here through 2030, the Padres are rumored to consider Miller as a starter in future seasons. Even if Suarez leaves in free agency and Miller joins the rotation, the bullpen will hold up. It would still have two all-stars in Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon, along with another top reliever in Jeremiah Estrada. Their current main starters, Yu Darvish, Michael King, and Dylan Cease, may all be gone soon via trade or retirement, so bringing Miller into the rotation may be a necessity rather than a luxury. 

Miller started six games in 2023 and performed well. In 24 1/3 innings, he finished with a 3.70 ERA and 27 Ks while allowing just a .267 wOBA. At 26 years old with no alarming injuries in his past, the Padres could view him as a candidate to become an elite starter.

There isn’t an arm whose power is comparable to Miller's in baseball right now, besides maybe prime Aroldis Chapman, but there are some successful stories of relievers turned starters. Looking at players like Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez, and Clay Holmes, who all had success turning from a reliever to a starter, we can see a clear path for Miller joining the rotation.

The combined average fastball drop for those players during their move was -3.4 mph. If Miller were to follow this trend, he would still have a 98-ish mph fastball that would be one of the best in MLB. 

The other crucial change for Miller would be the addition of a new pitch. Each of Crochet, Lopez, and Holmes added at least one tool to their arsenal during their first season as a starter. For Miller, that pitch would have to be a change-up. He has thrown just 11 of them in 2025 and is yet to record a strikeout with it. Becoming a starter with just two pitches would make him overly predictable for long outings, but a fastball/slider/changeup repertoire with his heat would get the job done, giving him an out pitch against opposite-handed batters.

As exciting as molding Miller into a top starter sounds, they are getting one of the best relief pitchers in baseball right now. With the current closer, Robert Suarez, likely gone after this year, Miller can fit right into his ninth-inning role in 2025/2026. For the future, whether it be holding down late-inning wins or becoming San Diego’s next elite starting pitcher, superstar Mason Miller has arrived, and he’s here to stay.