The San Diego Padres have been discussing a deal with the New York Mets as both teams further clarify their offseason moves, with the primary names including reliever Mason Miller and possibly Nick Pivetta as well.
Talks between the two teams have been reported in multiple outlets, including MLB.com and The Athletic. The Padres goals in a possible deal remain unclear, but they’re looking to shed payroll, and they’re reportedly interested in some of the Mets’ prospects and younger positions players.
A lot of names are being thrown around. The primary names for the Padres are relievers Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada, according to Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Will Sammon, but no specific Mets names have been leaked to the media, which isn’t surprising given that Mets GM David Stearns likes to keep his cards close to the vest.
Other Padres have been mentioned, including starter Nick Pivetta and outfielder Ramon Laureano This, too, isn’t surprising given that Padres GM A.J. Preller likes to go big and splashy when he makes deals, although it’s unclear how much freedom Preller has to do that given that he’s basically a lame-duck GM right now and the team was recently put up for sale.
Stearns knows what he wants, however. Miller and/or any of the other relievers would fill big gaps in a Mets bullpen that failed badly down the stretch last year, and Miller especially would fit well leading up to newly-signed closer Devin Williams.
If the deal was expanded or shifted to include Pivetta, it would obviously compromise the Padres rotation to at least some extent, and Preller would likely want at least one starter from the trio of Mets pitching prospects that includes Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong. McLean is rumored to be untouchable, but Sproat or Tong could probably be had if the return was high enough and the fit was right.
The big question for Padres fans is whether Preller even has the authority to do this kind of deal right now. The Padres haven’t clarified the team's situation at all beyond declaring that outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is untouchable, and the moves that they made at the winter meetings this week in Orlando, Fla. were marginal at best.
There is a fit here, though, as well as some possibilities. Preller is unpredictable, but some kind of deal could happen built around a Miller for Sproat framework, so the potential here makes it worthwhile to stay tuned.