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NEW YORK — The Yankees have two major-league scouts in Kansas City for this weekend’s Royals-Padres series.
They’re there tracking players who could be moved before baseball’s 6 p.m. Aug. 3 trade deadline, which is two weeks from Monday.
They’re there for Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller, baseball’s best reliever.
Miller wowed again Friday night when he struck out three in a row to get the Padres into extra innings after the Royals loaded the bases in the ninth with nobody out.
After a popup to third base fell in for a single, a double and intentional walk, the inning was over in 11 pitches. Josh Rojas struck out on an 0-2, 102-mph heater, Lane Thomas whiffed on a 1-2, 103-mph fastball and Vinnie Pasquantino went down swinging on a 1-2 slider.
The scoreless inning left Miller with an 0.89 ERA in 39 outings with 25 saves in 25 chances, 75 strikeouts and 14 walks across 40.2 innings.
“Miller’s the best there is,” a National League scout who was in attendance told NJ.com Saturday.
The best closer in the majors could be moved for the second summer in a row even though he’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season.
Last year, the Padres were NL West contenders and gave up the second-ranked prospect in the majors, teenage shortstop Leo De Vries, plus three pitching prospects to acquire Miller and left-hander JP Sears from the Athletics.
A year later, the Padres could be open to dealing Miller if their playoff position doesn’t improve over the next two weeks. With losses in Kansas City on Friday and Saturday, San Diego had a 48-50 record that left them 3 ½ games out of the NL’s last wild-card spot.
Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will have the final say on whether Miller, who turns 28 on Aug. 24, becomes available.
NJ.com is hearing the Yankees will aggressively pursue Miller after being outbid last summer by the Padres, but they’ll probably have a lot of competition from other contenders craving a lights-out closer who’s controllable through four postseasons.
Do the Yankees, who play the Dodgers in a Sunday doubleheader at Yankee Stadium after being rained out Saturday, really need Miller?
They already have a standout closer who is having a fantastic season in David Bednar plus the lowest bullpen ERA in the majors.
Can Yankees GM Brian Cashman land Miller without giving up No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr., a Triple-A shortstop who is believed to be untouchable?
NJ.com spoke with four veteran scouts well-versed in the Yankees’ big-league roster and farm system for expertise, two from the National League and two from the American League.
The scouts, who were granted anonymity because they are not permitted to publicly comment on opposing players, provided insight on what a Yankees-Padres trade involving Miller could look like:
NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOUT 1
Can the Yankees get Miller without giving up Lombard?
NL scout 1: “I think that the Yankees have enough guys that you could do that, but you’re going to have to give up multiple top prospects. The Padres gave up De Vries for Miller, so if that’s the price … Here’s what I can tell you in a synopsis: The Yankees have enough pieces to make the trade. Will it hurt their farm system and potentially cost them a Will Warren? Yeah. It probably is going to hurt a little bit, but it’s supposed to hurt when you’re making trades. You want the best, you have to give up stuff.”
Who’s the centerpiece?
NL scout 1: “That’s the problem. If the Yankees aren’t trading Lombard, then they’re probably not getting Miller unless they give up something from their big-league roster. Will Warren could maybe get the juices flowing. If you give up Warren and Elmer Rodriguez, a pretty good pitching prospect who made some big-league starts this season, the Padres are getting two major-league starters. That would definitely be a starting point.”
Would the Padres want Spencer Jones in that deal?
NL scout 1: “I don’t know. I’ve got so many mixed feelings on Jones. I just don’t know if he’s ever gonna figure it out. I love the athlete. I love the size and power. The fact that the Yankees brought back Cody Bellinger last winter tells me they don’t believe in Spencer Jones. I’d probably ask for Jasson Dominguez or Jones to be part of a deal, which would be like 1A, 1B. Who would you rather have in your outfield? I probably would lean Jones because of his defense and makeup.”
Who else would be in the market for Miller if he’s made available?
NL scout 1: “That’s a great question. I would think the Mariners, maybe the Phillies. If Miller’s out there, every contender is going to want him. The Dodgers have the pieces to get Miller with eight top 100 prospects, but I don’t think the Padres would trade him to their biggest rival. From what I’ve been told, the Padres’ new ownership group hates the Dodgers.”
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOUT 1
Are the Padres going to keep or trade Miller?
AL scout 1: “They’re going to wait 10 days and see where they are in the standings. A.J. Preller will move players if he thinks his team is out of it, but he’s going to ask for the moon because he ain’t got crap in his minor-league system.”
If you’re Brian Cashman, what are you offering that San Diego might accept?
AL scout 1: “I’m not giving up Lombard because he’s my shortstop at some point, so you’re probably going to have to give up someone on your big-league roster to be the signature part of a trade.”
Is starting a package with Warren and pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange enough?
AL scout 1: “That’s a decent start, but San Diego is going to want two more pieces. You’re getting a guy who can shut down anything. If you’ve got a lead going into the ninth inning and Miller comes in the game, you’re winning. You’ve got to give up something to get something. If you’re the Yankees and make that deal, you would hate to give up Warren, but you’re getting a bona fide closer.”
Who else are you throwing in? How about Oswaldo Cabrera? He’s raking in Triple A. He’s healthy. He’s great in the clubhouse.
AL scout 1: “Oswaldo would fit San Diego. The Yankees have a lot of Double-A and Triple-A arms, too. Let A.J. pick one.”
Would Miller fill a need or be a luxury? Can the Yankees get by with Bednar, who converted 18 of 20 saves in the first half and went into the All-Star break having worked 19 consecutive scoreless innings since late May?
AL scout 1: “If the Yankees get Miller, you move Bednar to the eighth inning and now you’re getting a double bang for your buck. If Cashman is smart, he’ll try to get the best guys to take a best shot at winning a World Series this year. That big fella in right field is 34 years old. They only got to the World Series once with Aaron Judge. If you add Miller, this could be the year the Yankees win it. Why wouldn’t you go out and get that lock closer?”
NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOUT 2
Are you thinking Miller will be moved or not?
NL scout 2: “A.J. Preller’s very unpredictable. Right now the Padres are not a lock to get into the playoffs. I think a lot depends on if they get hot and get within striking distance. I think A.J. may go for it because he could be out the door if the Padres miss the postseason. He may be reluctant to trade Miller because maybe the only way he keeps his job is if the Padres get in the playoffs and go deep.”
What could it cost the Yankees to get Miller?
NL scout 2: “There’s no doubt that you’re going to pay through the nose for Mason Miller. The way A.J. is, he might not come off insisting on Lombard. I heard the Yankees aren’t trading him or Lagrange, but the Yankees might have to put both in a deal to get Miller, especially if this turns into a bidding war with other teams involved.”
Would you take Lagrange as a centerpiece if you were calling the shots for the Padres? His fastball has touched 103 mph, but he recently was shut down with a capsular sprain in his pitching shoulder. Would his shoulder issue worry you?
NL scout 2: “Of course it would. The medical people would have to look at exactly the extent of what the injury was. It’s a shoulder injury, which is always a little bit scary.”
Give me a package the Padres might bite on that doesn’t include Lombard?
NL scout 2: “That’s tough. Elmer Rodriguez is a really good pitching prospect. I do like him a lot, but he’s not a centerpiece for Mason Miller. A guy who could bring the Yankees something back would be Ryan Weathers. When the Yankees get a healthy Carlos Rodon and Max Fried back in their rotation, Weathers probably loses his spot. Weathers in a deal for Miller might work. When you watch Weathers’ stuff, you go, ‘My God, this guy could be really good.’ The only thing is San Diego at one time had Weathers and they unloaded him.”
How much of a trade chip is Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones?
NL scout 2: “Their stock is down. If you hit Jones’ bat, he’s Joey Gallo. He’s going to hit a ball that everybody in the world is going to go, ‘Oh my gosh!’ But how often do you hit his bat? He’s got so many holes in his swing. I think Dominguez needs to get away from the Yankees’ hitting people, get away from interjecting so much data in his head. Dominguez is a naturally good hitter, but he looks confused to me at the plate sometimes.”
Who else could entice the Padres?
NL scout 2: “I like Jeff Kent’s son as a second baseman prospect. Kaeden Kent reminds me of Daniel Murphy. He shows up and plays hard. He’s still only in High A ball, but I think he’s going to be a good hitter who is going to hit some home runs. I’d take him in a package deal. I also like Ben Hess, their top pick a couple years ago. He’s a big and strong right-hander that reminds me of a name from the past when I watch him, Jeff Suppan. Henry Lalane will be a trade piece for the Yankees, too. He’s a left-hander with (Low-A) Tampa who has a big arm. His velocity was only 91-93 when I saw him early in the year, but I heard it’s back to what it was last year, high 90s and touching 100.”
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOUT 2
What’s Miller value on the trade market?
AL scout 2: “He’s the best closer in baseball. You ask for the moon because you gave up the moon for him. De Vries is a pup and an absolute stud who already is flourishing in Double-A as a 19-year-old. Can you get the moon for Miller? Don’t know.”
How positioned are the Yankees to get Miller?
AL scout 2: “I feel like Cashman held on to guys too long. Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez don’t have the value they once did. They can’t get anything for Anthony Volpe. I think the Yankees had more to offer last summer when the Padres outbid them for Miller. Now you’re going to have to trade guys off your big-league roster because the Yankees don’t even have a top 50 overall prospect to offer if they won’t trade Lombard, who is the closest thing they have to a De Vries. He’s a top 20 prospect. San Diego won’t trade Miller unless they get a lot back, and if they won’t do a deal without Lombard in it, I don’t blame them.”
Is Warren and Lagrange a fair centerpiece in Miller trade?
AL scout 2: “I think so, but what else do the Padres get? I’m thinking they would need four pieces back for Miller because it’s going to be a sellers’ market. Whoever’s getting traded, their value is going to be inflated because there’s at least 20 teams with inside tracks to the playoffs. It’s going to come down to who’s willing to give up what to get better.”
Can Miller flourish in New York?
AL scout 2: “The moment’s never too big for him. Even though he’s only pitched in Sacramento, Oakland, and San Diego, I think with the energy in Yankee Stadium and with his stuff, he might take it up a notch because he’s pitching for something. I’m not saying Miller’s Mariano Rivera, but when you hand the game to him, it’s game over.”
What would Miller do for the Yankees’ roster?
AL scout 2: “The Yankees’ first four starters are ridiculous when healthy. Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon … I wouldn’t want to face the Yankees in a short series or long series with those four arms. And then you throw Mason Miller into the mix at the backend of the bullpen? That automatically shortens the game.”
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