A Cubs-Athletics trade for Mason Miller to fix the bullpen in Chicago

For all that has been gone wrong from a public relations standpoint for the Oakland A's this season, the team is just five games under .500, currently sitting third in the AL West. While they sport the second-worst run differential in the American League at minus-43, second only to the White Sox as of Sunday, April 28, one of the reasons they have looked somewhat competitive is the pitching of Mason Miller.

In 12 innings of work so far this season, Miller has spotted a K per 9 of 18.24. The ERA, which is impressive at 1.46, has a FIP of 0.08. Ignore the small sample size for a moment. Not 0.88, but a 0.08 and he has struck out 25 of the 37 batters he has faced. Recently, he credited making a few changes on the mound for his success, giving him a better path while driving to home plate.

He, along with Lucas Erceg, who closed out the win against Baltimore on Sunday, make up for one of the better 1-2 bullpen combos early on this season.

Why are the Chicago Cubs a good fit for Miller?

The Cubs are sitting in second place in the NL Central at 17-11, but have the 27th-worst bullpen in the league. The loss of Julian Merryweather and the struggles of Adbert Alzolay, who has already blown as many saves (3) as he did all of last season, highlight a bullpen that has been put together by a core of players that Chicago has taken a chance on and have paid off.

The Cubs could use a strikeout pitcher like Miller. Chicago has a K per 9 of 8.57, which ranks them 22nd in baseball according to FanGraphs. Mark Leiter Jr leads the team in FIP, sporting a 2.27 in 12.1 innings of work. Along with Yency Almonte, the Cubs keep plugging along towards keeping themselves above water.

There is no indication that Oakland would move Miller, but fans are all too familiar with the A's parting ways with players to keep from costs increasing. What would a good package look like for Chicago to part ways with Miller?

RHP Michael Arias and RHP Porter Hodge for RHP Mason Miller

Hodge, who is ranked No. 25 on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 list and Arias, at No. 12, are two right-handers with tremendous upside who have some interesting pitch mixes that could work in relief roles. Hodge, who was added to the 40-man roster in November, is a live arm who has a 60-grade fastball with good extension on his delivery. The walks are still an issue, but the potential is there as he continues to become more polished.

Former shortstop Arias has been racking up strikeouts heading into his first full season at Double-A Tennessee but similar to Hodge, he has a good fastball with riding action but command needs to be consistent in order to cut down the walks.

Would it be ideal to grab a prospect like catcher Moises Ballesteros? No doubt, but if Oakland is looking for two arms with some intrigue, Hodge and Arias are among a few in a system that are close to major league ready.