The San Diego Padres spent a fortune on Mason Miller at the trade deadline, trading away top prospect Leo De Vries along with their third-ranked prospect, and a few others to land the Athletics All-Star closer.
Not long after the deal, there were questions of whether the Padres gave up too much or not. One way the deal could look better, at least in the eyes of some analysts, is for Miller to move to the starting rotation.
Miller, according to Sports Illustrated, spoke about such a potential switch to the starting rotation, sharing an interesting and open perspective on the switch back to the rotation in his big league career.
"I think all the focus is on this year and pitching out of the bullpen," said Miller. While he shut down the notion in 2025, he didn't completely shut down making the switch to the rotation down in the future.
"That's not to say down the road we can't revisit and have conversations," Miller said. "Being able to think about and say that I'm going to be here for the next four years, I think there are possibilities of that. But for the time being, the focus is 100 percent on this season and being in the bullpen."
Miller, being open to a move to the rotation, provides an intriguing potential solution to the likely departures of Dylan Cease and Michael King. Instead of spending a fortune trying to acquire a new starter, especially with the team's top pitching prospects gone, the Padres could turn to Miller in the rotation.
MORE: Padres pull off blockbuster trade for Athletics' Mason Miller
The idea of a dominant closer moving to a full-time role is very appealing. But, there's a reason why such a move would be troublesome. Miller is one of the hardest throwers in baseball and is one of the reasons why he is so great on the mound as a closer.
In a role where he's pitching more than just one inning at a time, there's a lot more risk to his arm. While the ideal scenario has Miller dominate as a starter, there's no guarantee that he can maintain his velocity all the time once in the rotation.
Robert Suarez, the team's current closer, is likely departing in free agency as well. Keeping Miller as the team's closer for the next few seasons isn't a bad outcome, even if it's not the ideal of him making a successful transition to a starting pitcher.
It's an enticing idea, but the Padres might be playing with fire, especially after Miller's first stint as a starter was cut short in 2023. While Miller is open to becoming a starter again, keeping him in the bullpen might be the best way to get all 4.5 years out of Miller.
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