The Mets’ perfect trade offer for the Padres’ Mason Miller

The New York Mets face a critical offseason after failed to reach the 2025 playoffs. New York was expected to build on a successful campaign in 2024, when the team pulled off an upset in the NLCS. With the addition of Juan Soto, the Mets had World Series aspirations. But the club never really wanted to. And a late-season collapse kept New York from making the Wild Card.

Although many believed the team would try to recover by reducing its unrivaled purchasing power, thanks to the richest owner in sports, the hot stove was lukewarm. even worse, The Mets let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk in free agency, leaving fans in a frenzy.

New York signed by Jorge Polanco on a two-year, $40 million contract. But the supplement did little to quell complaints.

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

Miller on the market

Although San Diego just landed Miller in a deal at the trade deadline 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 announcing a trade, The Padres would have to be “overwhelmed” with the offer.

In this case, it is certainly understandable. San Diego horribly gave up Miller for half a season in a setup role. The Padres traded their top prospect Leo De Vries (currently ranked third in baseball’s top 100) and three minor league prospects for Miller and LHP JP Sears.

San Diego went all-in on the 2025 season, bolstering its playoff bullpen. But the team was bounced in the Wild Card round by the Chicago Cubs. Now that anything is possible with Padres GM AJ Preller, Miller could be on the move again. For the right price, of course.

Mets help wanted

The Mets have won this offseason. NL Reliever of the Year Edwin Diaz was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the team also lost Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto in free agency.

New York nabbed Devin Williams, luring the former Yankees closer to Queens a three-year contract worth $51 million. However, if you read the tea leaves (or watched Williams play last season), it’s obvious the Mets would prefer to have him in a setup role. At the very least, they would like flexibility and depth in the bench.

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

Miller makes sense for the Mets

After a slow 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 a staggering 17.4 K/9. Miller earned a 1.4 bVAR in just 23.1 innings with the Padres. He totaled 104 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

And Miller is even more attractive given his contract. The three-year pro is under club control for the next five years and will not become a free agent until the 2030 season.

While it is The Padres lost Roberto Suarez to the Atlanta Braves they are 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 odds to reach a deal. But the Mets should only make an offer if they believe Miller could be their closer for the next five years. If the team is willing to hand over the ninth inning to Miller and use Williams as a reliever, it’s worth diving into the potential.

Mets trade offer

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

Jonah Tong

The Padres desperately need to add to their rotation. The team lost Dylan Sis to free agency and Michael King is expected to follow him from San Diego. Additionally, veteran pitcher Yu Darvish is out for the season. Of course, the Padres would expect one of the Mets’ three young starters — Nolan MacLean, Brandon Sprott or Tong — to be part of the package for Miller.

McLean looked like a future ace during his late-season major league debut. New York won’t move him. Sproat fared better than Tong in his brief stints in the big leagues last season. He boasts a terrific fastball that can hit triple digits and has enjoyed some minor league success.

However, Tong outscored Sproat in the minors. He doesn’t throw that hard. But the fields of young right-wingers have a lot of movement. His fastball comes up faster with significant break. And his curveball falls 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. During his three seasons in the minors, Tong showed promising ability to miss bats. Plus, he’s three years younger than Sproat.

New York would probably prefer to stick with Tonga. But he would likely have to be included in a deal for Miller.

Jett Williams

Williams offers San Diego a versatile defender who is ready to contribute to the lineup. The Mets third prospect can get on base. And when he does, he uses his tremendous speed to drag the bag.

Williams slashed .261/.363/.465 in 130 games split between Double- and Triple-A in 2025. He showed decent success 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 drafted as a shortstop, Williams spent time at second base and center field. He is a versatile major league creator who can help San Diego compete now and long term.

Pot sweetener

Two top 46 MLB prospects is solid for Miller. But if the Mets want to overdo this deal, they can offer Marco Vientos. The fourth veteran is an infielder/DH with solid pop. Vientos hit 27 home runs and 22 doubles while posting a 3.1 bVAR in just 111 games in 2024. He too has been on a tear in the postseason, making Mets history. His production dipped last year, but he still had 17 dingers.

Vientos is exactly the type of player the Padres are looking for. He has strong power potential at the position of need (first base) and is under team control through 2030. Vientos will earn the league minimum in an under-26 season next year.

TL;DR

The Mets receive:
Mason Miller

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