Mets’ perfect trade offer for Padres’ Mason Miller

The New York Mets face a critical offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2025. New York was expected to build on a successful 2024 campaign, when the team made a surprise run to the NLCS. With the addition of Juan Soto, the Mets had World Series aspirations. But the club never really gelled. And a late season collapse saw New York fall just short of a Wild Card berth.

While many believed the team would attempt to rebound by flexing its unmatched purchasing power, courtesy of the richest owner in the sport, the hot stove has been lukewarm. Even worse, the Mets let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk in free agency, leaving fans distraught.

New York signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal. But the addition did little to curb complaints.

But there’s nothing like a blockbuster trade to rally the fanbase. And the Mets have an opportunity to do just that by acquiring San Diego Padres reliever Mason Miller.

Miller on the market

Although San Diego just landed Miller in a trade deadline deal last season, the team is reportedly willing to move the pitcher for the right price. Of course, as every team feels obligated to note when hyping a trade, the Padres would have to be “overwhelmed” by the offer.

In this case, it’s somewhat understandable. San Diego gave up an awful lot for half a season of Miller in a setup role. The Padres traded their top prospect Leo De Vries (currently the third-ranked prospect in baseball’s top 100) and three promising minor league pitchers for Miller and LHP JP Sears.

San Diego went all-in on the 2025 season, bolstering their bullpen for a playoff run. But the team got bounced in the Wild Card round by the Chicago Cubs. Now, because all things are possible with Padres GM A.J. Preller, Miller could be on the move again. For the right price, of course.

Help wanted in Mets bullpen

The Mets’ bullpen has taken a beating this offseason. NL Reliever of the Year Edwin Diaz bolted to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the team also lost Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto in free agency.

New York did nab Devin Williams, luring the former Yankees closer to Queens with a three-year, $51 million deal. However, if you read the tea leaves (or watched Williams pitch last season) it’s apparent the Mets would prefer to have him in a setup role. At the very least, they’d like some flexibility and depth in the bullpen.

That opens the door for Miller. The 27-year-old hurler is unquestionably one of the best relievers in baseball. He routinely reaches triple digits on the radar gun and produces stellar strikeout rates.

Miller makes sense for the Mets

After a slowish start with the A’s last season, Miller caught fire with the Padres. In 22 appearances for San Diego he had a 0.77 ERA, 0.729 WHIP, a preposterous 561 ERA+ and an eye-popping 17.4 K/9. Miller racked up 1.4 bWAR in just 23.1 innings with the Padres. In total, he racked up 104 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

And Miller’s all the more attractive given his contract. The three-year pro is under club control for the next five years and won’t become a free agent until the 2030 season.

While the Padres lost Suarez to the Atlanta Braves they’re open to trading Miller for a package that includes controllable talent to address needs and help the team compete long term.

New York has the prospects to get a deal done. But the Mets should only make an offer if they believe Miller can be their closer for the next five years. If the team is ready to hand the ninth inning to Miller and use Williams as the setup man it’s worth dipping into the prospect pool.

Mets trade offer

The Mets could offer RHP Jonah Tong (New York’s No. 4 prospect and No. 46 in MLB’s top 100) and OF/SS/2B Jett Williams (No. 3 and No. 30) as well as a pot sweetener (more on that below).

Jonah Tong

The Padres desperately need to add to their rotation. The team lost Dylan Cease to free agency and Michael King is expected to follow him out of San Diego. Additionally, veteran hurler Yu Darvish is out for the season. Naturally, the Padres would expect one of the Mets’ three young starters – Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Tong – to be part of a package for Miller.

McLean looked like a future ace during his late-season major league debut. New York won’t be moving him. Sproat fared better than Tong in their brief big league stints last season. He boasts a blazing fastball that can reach triple digits and he’s enjoyed some minor league success.

However, Tong has outshined Sproat in the minors. He doesn’t throw as hard. But the young righty’s pitches have a ton of movement. His fastball appears faster with significant break. And his curveball drops off a cliff.

Between Double- and Triple-A last season, Tong went 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and an impressive 179 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. While only 6’1”, Tong has shown a promising ability to miss bats. Plus he’s three years younger than Sproat.

New York would likely prefer to hold on to Tong. But he’d probably need to be included in a deal for Miller.

Jett Williams

Williams offers San Diego a versatile defender who’s ready to contribute to the lineup. The Mets’ No. 3 prospect can get on base. And when he does, he uses his blazing speed to swipe a bag.

Williams slashed .261/.363/.465 in 130 games split between Double- and Triple-A in 2025. He showed decent pop with 17 home runs and 34 doubles while scoring 91 runs and stealing 34 bases.

The 22 year old can play multiple positions, offering the Padres depth and flexibility. While Williams was drafted as a shortstop, he’s spent time in center field and second base as well. He’s a versatile, major league-ready run creator who can help San Diego compete now and in the long term.

The pot sweetener

Two top 46 MLB prospects is a solid haul for Miller. But if the Mets want to put this deal over the top, they can offer Mark Vientos. The fourth-year veteran is a corner infielder/DH with solid pop. Vientos hit 27 home runs and 22 doubles while racking up 3.1 bWAR in just 111 games in 2024. And he made Mets history in the postseason. His production dipped last year but he still smacked 17 dingers.

Vientos is exactly the type of player the Padres are looking for. He has strong power potential at a position of need (first base) and he’s under team control until 2030. Vientos is set to earn the league minimum in his age-26 season next year.

TL;DR

Mets receive:
Mason Miller

Padres receive:
RHP Jonah Tong
OF/SS/2B Jett Williams
3B/1B/DH Mark Vientos

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