The Philadelphia Phillies' point of emphasis at the 2025 MLB trade deadline is clear. Dave Dombrowski needs to build out his bullpen. Orion Kerkering has settled nicely into the closing role, but Philadelphia's other late-relief options feel less reliable by the day. Matt Strahm has regressed. Jordan Romano is a shell of his former self. José Alvarado is ineligible for the playoffs after his PED suspension.
There are plenty of quality relievers expected to change teams in the next 10 days, but none capture the imagination quite like Athletics fireballer Mason Miller. A magical rookie campaign in 2024 saw Miller finish with a 2.49 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 65.0 innings. He notched a whopping 104 strikeouts.
It has been... less smooth in 2025, with Miller's ERA ballooning to 4.04 and his walk rate sharply increasing. But he's still a 26-year-old with multiple years of team control left on his contract and a fastball that can touch 104 MPH. If the Phillies can anchor their bullpen with a young ace like Miller, whom some teams still believe can be molded into a starter, that would be a huge deadline win.
Unfortunately, Dave Dombrowski will face stiff competition if the A's seriously consider moving off of the hard-throwing righty.
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Dodgers emerge as potential favorite to trade for Mason Miller
The Los Angeles Dodgers will be aggressive in pursuit of bullpen help at the trade deadline, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory TV. That could mean plucking Mason Miller out of Sacramento purgatory and putting him on the reigning World Series champs.
The Dodgers could be a team that trades for Mason Miller if he's dealt, says @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/c2IptLXmr0
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 21, 2025
This is just the worst possible outcome for Philadelphia. We can debate which potentially available reliever is the "best" right now, but Miller's blend of youth, power and upside is unmatched. Even if he's not as polished as a Jhoan Durán or an Emmanuel Clase, Miller has a chance to exceed all of them in the years to come. Especially if he can actually transition into a starting role down the line.
No team deserves this help less than LA. Yes, the Dodgers are actually struggling right now and the pitching is a mess. There's no shortage of talent in the Dodgers bullpen after signing Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates last winter, but injuries have been a scourge in LA all season. Their starting rotation averages the fewest innings per game (4.53) in MLB, which puts outsized stress on the relief crew.
Miller would help stabilize the Dodgers bullpen in a big way. Suddenly, Los Angeles would have a four-man battering ram of Miller, Scott, Yates and Blake Treinen in the playoffs. With Blake Snell on his way back from the IL, health will eventually begin to favor the Dodgers a bit more. Come October, there still is not a more intimidating force in the National League.
Phillies must work overtime to keep Mason Miller away from LA
With all due respect to Dodgers fans, absolutely not. This cannot happen under any circumstances. The league as a whole should work in concert to ensure that Miller, one of the most remarkable pitching talents in recent memory, does not end up as the final piece to the puzzle for MLB's budding dynasty in LA.
The Phillies have the ammo to get the A's on the phone and a deal across the finish line. FanSided's Quinn Everts pitched a hypothetical trade sending Mick Abel to Sacramento. That would give the A's a young starter who has already flashed the potential for big-league stardom at 23 years old. If the A's want hitters, then Justin Crawford, Aroon Escobar and others could prove appealing.
Whatever happens, the Phillies (or another team) just needs to make sure Miller is not on the Dodgers when the final buzzer sounds on July 31.