Mason Miller Could Cost Rays More Than Just a Top Prospect at MLB Trade Deadline

If the Tampa Bay Rays want to acquire the best closer at the trade deadline, it might cost them one of their top prospects in the organization. 

As the MLB trade deadline draws near, Eric Neander and the Rays front office have plenty of decisions to make on how they can improve their roster to ensure it's ready for a deep postseason run. 

The Rays currently sit 62-43 heading into Tuesday's action, 2.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for the American League East Division lead. However, once August 3rd passes, there will be no new additions to ensure a playoff run. 

With the American League having a down year and with the looming threat of a potential lockout for the upcoming season, the Rays front office must do everything they possibly can to ensure this opportunity of talent from this Tampa Bay team doesn't get squandered. 

But how aggressive will Neander be? 

If he's willing to go all in, it could mean that some of the top prospects inside the Rays organization head in a different direction, possibly to Southern California. 

The best closer on the market is easily San Diego Padres reliever Mason Miller, who instantly improves any bullpen he is a part of. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that if the Padres decide to move on from Miller, the team has told other organizations that nobody else will be off-limits in a trade. 

This may mean that your top prospect could be on the move if you feel that Miller can give you your first World Series in franchise history. 

So here's the biggest question. If you're Eric Neander in the Rays' front office, would you be willing to move on from a player such as Theo Gillen to acquire the services of Mason Miller and make a deep postseason run this season? 

So far this season, Miller has a 0.82 ERA and 27 saves, picking up 80 strikeouts over 43 innings pitched. A phenomenal stat line heading into the second half of the season. Adding him to an already loaded back end of the bullpen, led by Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker, the Rays would have multiple weapons to attack the rest of the American League deep into the postseason. 

Miller is currently playing on a one-year, $4 million contract with the Padres, but that was due to arbitration. If he were to be acquired by Tampa Bay, he would still be under team control for three more seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2030, which means that Gillen might not actually be enough.

It may require a blockbuster trade to pick up the best closer in baseball, but if it ends with a pennant, does it really matter? 

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