It’s no secret the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen has been their weakness this year.
Yet, the Dodgers are reportedly looking to upgrade the back end of their bullpen and are specifically targeting 2024 All-Star Mason Miller of the Athletics.
Miller, in his third year with the A’s, is having another solid season with 19 saves and a 57-17 strikeout-to-walk rate. He is under team control through the 2028 MLB season.
The A’s are 42-61 and wallowing away in last place in the AL West.
Why Are The Dodgers Targeting Mason Miller?
Though it sits atop the National League West at 59-43, with the NL’s third-best record behind only the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles’ bullpen has been its soft underbelly this year.
The Dodgers beefed up the back-end of their pen with Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott, but Yates is a pending free agent and Scott has been a roller coaster with a 4.14 ERA and .740 OPS against despite his 19 saves. Plus, Scott was placed on the injured list Tuesday.
LA ranks 24th in the majors in bullpen ERA (4.41), so it is sure to target bullpen help — especially after Ben Casparius left Tuesday night’s game with an apparent injury.
Despite the availability of Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins, plus Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians, Miller is by far the best option. He is the hardest-throwing reliever in the majors — he has the fastest pitch in the majors this year (103.7mph) and averages 101 mph on his four-seam fastball, per Statcast.
Acquiring Miller would shorten the game substantially for the Dodgers, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal suggested the Dodgers as one of the few teams to have a package available to acquire Miller.
“A year ago, Athletics closer Mason Miller was untouchable. To this point, the Aâs messaging this season â weâre not talking about him â is pretty much the same,” Rosenthal wrote Wednesday. “But according to sources briefed on the teamâs plans, that stance is subject to change.
“The way the Aâs see it, only a few teams are bold enough to propose an offer for Miller worthy of consideration. General manager David Forst might engage those teams as the deadline nears. But for now, he appears willing to let them grow more desperate.”
To Rosenthal’s point, Miller has been wilder this year than last, since he has a career-high 4.00 ERA and is on pace to shatter his career high in walks (21 set last year).
But Miller’s ERA has dropped from a season-high 6.11 two months ago, since he has allowed just four earned runs in his past 18 1/3 innings while picking up nine saves in 10 chances.
“Which teams might tempt the Aâs?” Rosenthal wrote. “The Los Angeles Dodgers, with free agents Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates performing below expectations, almost certainly would be in the mix.”
What Other Teams Might Want Mason Miller?
Though the Dodgers seem likely to blow out their budget to acquire a star-caliber pitcher like Miller, contrary to perception in LA, there are other teams trying to also win the World Series.
So Rosenthal floated the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees as clubs that would also target Miller if he became available.
“The Philadelphia Phillies probably would be No. 1 on the list,” Rosenthal wrote. “So would the New York Yankees, who face the losses of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency.”
Yet, perhaps the most angst-inducing team on the list is the Dodgers’ NL West rivals, the San Diego Padres, who loom just 3.5 games out in the NL West.
The Padres’ involvement may push the Dodgers over the edge to land Miller. Though Rosenthal also reported the potential price would be steep.
“The Aâs asking price for Miller would figure to be exorbitant,” Rosenthal wrote. “Miller, 26, is earning $765,000 this season, just $5,000 above the league minimum, then is under club control for four additional seasons through salary arbitration. His expected 2.84 ERA is well below his actual 4.04 mark, thanks in part to a 40.1 percent strikeout rate that was in the top 1 percent of the league.”
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