Mason Miller

With teams calling about Mason Miller, it's fair to ask where he fits best.

MLBTR writer Anthony Franco held a live chat today, exclusively with Front Office subscribers. Anthony took questions on A's star closer Mason Miller, the forthcoming debut of Paul Skenes, the Astros' playoff chances, whether the Orioles should make a change in their bullpen, the Yankees' rotation and more -- including questions on the Pirates, Reds, Mariners, Brewers,…

MLBTR writer Anthony Franco held a live chat today, exclusively with Front Office subscribers. Anthony took questions on A's star closer Mason Miller, the forthcoming debut of Paul Skenes, the Astros' playoff chances, whether the Orioles should make a change in their bullpen, the Yankees' rotation and more -- including questions on the Pirates, Reds, Mariners, Brewers,…

Miller is not set to hit free agency until after the 2029 season

The Oakland Athletics might be open to dealing their best young player this summer.Oakland is not ruling out a future trade of closer Mason Miller, who's already drawing interest from contenders, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. However, the team's asking price for Miller is quite high, and no suitor has even come close to meeting it, a team source told Rosenthal.Miller, 25, is already a virtual lock to be the A's All-Star representative and is by far the best reliever in baseball right now. He's authored a microscopic 1.10 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and minus-0.15 FIP along with eight saves, an 18.2 K/9 rate, and just four walks in 16.1 innings. Miller's also the hardest thrower in baseball, with a fastball averaging 100.8 mph and a slider that sits in the high 80s.The A's price on Miller is quite high thanks to his status as a young player with several years of team control remaining. He's earning the league-minimum salary of $740,000 this season, won't reach arbitration until 2026, and isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season.The A's, in the midst of their final season in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas (via a three-year layover in Sacramento), are exceeding every expectation early in the 2024 season. Manager Mark Kotsay has the young team sitting with an 18-21 record and only four games out of first place entering play Thursday.While it's unlikely Miller will be able to keep the A's in contention all summer, keeping the closer would indicate a desire to build a future winner around him in their next home. The notoriously frugal franchise has signalled an intent to boost payroll once they arrive in Las Vegas as early as 2028, according to Rosenthal.The A's have made a habit of trading their young stars as their salaries increase for several decades. Since they last made the playoffs in 2020, Oakland has dealt away multiple homegrown players, including Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Sean Murphy, for prospects.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.