The San Diego Padres bolstered their bullpen by trading for the Athletics' closer, Mason Miller. He got right to work, shutting the door in the ninth inning and becoming just the second Padres pitcher to throw an immaculate inning.
Miller had a great year in San Diego. He made 22 appearances, holding together a 0.77 ERA on 23.1 innings of work.
However, during the season, there were rumblings that San Diego was thinking about converting Miller to a starting pitcher. This would help the team tremendously with Dylan Cease and Michael King on the open market, and now Yu Darvish being out for the 2026 season.
Former GM reveals Mason Miller's thoughts on transitioning to a starter
More and more relievers have been converting to starting pitchers over the years. Seth Lugo, Michael King, and Garrett Crochet are all good examples of this.
However, it does not always go as smoothly as one would think. Some relievers would prefer the pressure-building moments instead of being the man to start the game and go deep.
The rumors about Miller starting next season have not gone away. And with what he said to former Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden, fans may want to look away, via Foul Territory.
"I remember talking to Mason Miller during the All-Star Game, not this year but the year before in Texas. I asked him about starting, and he basically said that he wanted to close. He doesn't want to start. He tried that and it didn't really work."
That is not something that San Diego fans will want to hear, but the hard-throwing righty is just being honest. Even if it would help the club, he would prefer to stay in the bullpen, but we will have to wait and see if he gets his wish when camp gets a bit closer.
More MLB news:
- Astros designate former Gold Glove Award winner for assignment
- Athletics designate former first-round draft pick for assignment
- Dave Dombrowski confirms the Phillies will be cautious in starting pitching market
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirms the priority is to retain Cody Bellinger
- Orioles plan to shed their budget reputation by spending big this winter