A former MLB player says the San Diego Padres’ trade of Mason Miller was influenced by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ successful bullpen strategy last season.
It’s been a busy MLB trade deadline for the San Diego Padres, and one area president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller made sure to strengthen was the bullpen.
On Thursday, the Padres acquired Mason Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears from the Athletics in a trade that sent 18-year-old shortstop Leodalis De Vries, the No. 3 prospect in baseball, along with right-handers Braden Nett, Henry Báez, and Eduarniel Nuñez, per ESPN.
San Diego now have a bullpen that includes Miller, joining a pair of All-Star right-handers in closer Robert Suarez and top setup man Jason Adam. Some will wonder why the Padres gave up their No. 3 prospect just for a bullpen arm—even one as talented as Miller. The answer lies with their NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Padres saw firsthand how valuable a dominant bullpen can be when the Dodgers used theirs to great effect, relying on multiple bullpen games on the way to a World Series title. Former MLB player Yonder Alonso believes San Diego are trying to follow that same blueprint.
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“One of the best teams [last season] was the Dodgers,” Alonso said on MLB Network. “Game 5 of that World Series was a bullpen game. It just lets you know where our game’s at right now. If you got a heavy, strong bullpen that can go multiple innings like the Padres have, you’re in pretty good shape right now to kind of mix and match.”
"If you got a heavy, strong bullpen that can go multiple innings, like the Padres have, you're in pretty good shape right now..."@YonderalonsoU, Matty V, Jake Peavy and Rick Hahn discuss San Diego's strong position as the Trade Deadline nears. pic.twitter.com/Q65hrJxfoI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 31, 2025
It’ll be interesting to see if this approach, stacking the bullpen with arms that can go multiple innings and handle full bullpen games, can help the Padres get past the Dodgers and finally win a World Series.
Category: Baseball
