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With the San Diego Padres' season starting to spiral out of control, the team could find itself in a tough spot with less than a month until the trade deadline.
Many around the league have expected the Padres to be an active team, with president of baseball operations A.J.
Preller always looking to add.
But recent results could shift the priority for Preller and the front office, pushing the team to be a seller.
With the recent skid of the Padres, some have mentioned that the team could consider trading star closer Mason Miller.
The team's lone All-Star has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, and he could net the team a litany of strong assets.
In fact, former MLB general manager Steve Phillips believes that the Padres "have to" trade Miller if they want to get back into contention.
"Yes, they should [trade him].
If the Padres think they're in it and they're gonna go for it ..
they need starting pitching and offense," Phillips said on MLB Now.
"The surplus is bullpen, and Mason Miller is the biggest chip that they have." Phillips mentioned the New York Yankees as a potential suitor for Miller if the Padres were to move the star closer.
"There is a team in the Bronx that would desperately give up what it would take to get him, where [the Padres= could get a Ryan Weathers, or they could get a Will Warren, and they could get a Spencer Jones or a Jasson Dominguez," Phillips said.
"So you're gonna get the pitcher and a bat to be able to go to the Padres to move [Adrian] Morejon to closer, [Jeremiah] Estrada to closer.
"I'm telling you right now, the Padres have to do that if they want to try to get back in it." Should the Padres Trade Mason Miller? While the Padres may prefer to keep Miller, moving him does make sense.
Not only would the Padres be able to get a haul for him, but this would help replenish the farm system and depth of the team.
San Diego has made multiple blockbuster trades over the last few seasons, including for Juan Soto and Miller.
This has decimated the farm system, but a trade of Miller could help them build some much-needed depth.
Miller has been great this year, but with how poorly the team has played, he hasn't been able to make a massive difference of late.
The star closer has only made a handful of appearances over the last two weeks, which he has said is not easy to deal with.
If the Padres were to make Miller available, there would be no shortage of suitors to land his services.
As Phillips mentions, the Yankees could be an intriguing option, with New York needing more back-end help in the bullpen.
Just about every other contender would likely come calling, too.
All in all, the Padres may not end up moving Miller, especially with the closer saying he would love to stay in San Diego long-term.
But if this team wants a path toward contention, Preller could look to move the superstar closer while he's still under multiple years of team control and at peak value.
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He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.
Follow @Levine1445.