A Cubs-A's trade to give Chicago a real closer

One of the biggest breakout stars of the 2024 season has caught everybody off guard. Former Division 3 Waynesburg Yellow Jacket Mason Miller has taken the league by storm, lighting up the radar gun and shutting down the ninth inning of A's games.

But with the current status of the Oakland Athletics, it's not very likely that the 25-year-old Miller will remain in an A's uniform for very long.

The trade market for the former Division 3 pitcher has already been heating up. Rumors have begun swirling around what the asking price would be and who would be willing to pay that price. One team that could have strong interest in Miller is the Chicago Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs could look to a Mason Miller trade to acquire a true closer

The Cubs have a bit of a hole to fill at the backend of their bullpen. Don't get me wrong, Hector Neris isn't a bad pitcher by any means. But he isn't a true closer. He hasn't handled a team's closing duties in about five years.

So the Cubs could look to acquire one and there isn't a better option for them to look into more than the A's Mason Miller.

To acquire Miller would be a steep asking price though. He comes with a ton of value. The righty is under team control until 2029 and has only begun to scratch the surface of his true potential.

Chicago would likely have to part ways with one or two of their top prospects, which is an incredibly high asking price when dealing with a relief pitcher. But Miller isn't your typical 25-year-old reliever.

This trade likely begins with the Cubs number nine prospect, Ben Brown. The A's will likely also need a younger, higher ceiling prospect, potentially Derniche Valdez, an 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic.

In 16.1 innings this year, Miller has an ERA of 1.10 and a FIP of -0.15 (???). If the negative FIP number is a bit surprising, don't be alarmed, it's kind of confusing to everybody. To put things into perspective, Jacob DeGrom, the active career leader in FIP has a career FIP of just over a 2.50.

A Mason Miller to the Cubs deal doesn't have any traction just yet, but it's absolutely a situation to keep an eye on. Miller could be exactly what is needed to close down games in the Windy City for the next half decade.