Grading a Cubs-A’s trade to fix Chicago’s bullpen without losing top prospects

Oakland A's closer Mason Miller has taken the baseball world by storm. While he made his debut in 2023 as a starter, he got injured and was moved to the bullpen, where he has been nothing short of electric.

With a fastball that averages 100 mph that consistently hits 103 mph, he's in the 100th percentile in fastball velocity, strikeout percentage and whiff percentage. He's compiled eight saves in 14 games with a 0.98 ERA and an 18.7 K/9. One of the most mind-boggling stats is his -0.19 FIP. Which still doesn't compute in my head.

Regardless, despite his dominance, he's going to be in the middle of trade rumors all season. The reason for that? Well, to put it bluntly, it's because it's the A's. With their history and looking at the future, it's assumed that Miller will get moved. He would be a valuable trade chip, not only because of how good he has been, but because he isn't a free agent until 2030.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer compiled trade proposals for multiple teams, including the Cubs, so we are here to grade it for both teams.

A Cubs trade for Athletics closer Mason Miller

Oakland receives: OF Kevin Alcantara, OF Owen Caissie, INF James Triantos

Chicago receives: RP Mason Miller

Grade for the Athletics

This would be a pretty big haul for the A's. According to MLB Pipeline, all three players are in the top 10 of the Cubs system and all in the top 100 prospects in baseball, with Caissie being the highest at No. 37.

They miss out on Chicago's top guys in Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cade Horton and Matt Shaw, but it's still a good return. Caissie currently has a .838 OPS in Triple-A and in 2023 had a .917 OPS and hit 22 homers. The 21-year-old is a player I really like, but in all reality could be expendable because of the Cubs outfield situation. He would get consistent playing time in Oakland right off the bat and could contribute immediately.

Alcantara is a big guy, standing at 6'6, but is athletic in the outfield. With his size, he could generate 30 homer power consistently, but has yet to do so in the minors. He's struggled a bit so far at Double-A in 2024, hitting only four home runs and a .643 OPS, but in his last two seasons he had an .800+ OPS, so he may just need to get going. The upside of Alcantara is intriguing, and while he wouldn't be contributing right away, he could in the near future as an exciting piece to join Caissie in the outfield.

Triantos is a different type of player than the other two. He's a second baseman who doesn't really hit for a ton of power, but he doesn't strike out a lot, hits for a good average and will swipe some bags. He would see a position change in Oakland due to being blocked by Zack Gelof, who is part of the future for the A's.

Despite missing out on the top guys from the Cubs, they might have the best system in baseball, so it's still a good haul. That being said, giving up Miller so early would be tough. He has a lot of control, which is always valuable to teams, and he has been the most exciting part of the A's season so far. On the other hand, relievers are volatile and always will be.

Despite my hesitance on the A's trading Miller, I still think they come out in the positive on this one.

Grade: B+

Grade for the Cubs

In this scenario, Chicago keeps their star prospects. That's a huge win. If you remember back to the last time they traded for a star reliever, they had to give up their top prospect in Gleyber Torres. Because their system is so good, players like Caissie or Alcantara might be number one in other teams' systems, but Chicago makes out well here.

The players in this proposed trade are blocked at the big league level. Their outfield is already filled with Bellinger, Happ, Suzuki and even Crow-Armstrong having spots locked, and Nico Hoerner isn't moving off second base anytime soon.

As for what they are acquiring, it would be a huge boost in their playoff run. As it currently stands, their closer is Hector Neris. While he hasn't been bad per se, Neris has posted a 3.00 ERA, 13 strikeouts and six saves in 15 innings. Needless to say, Miller would be a huge upgrade instantly, which could push Neris back to the eighth inning.

This trade would also free Craig Counsell up to move his bullpen around, namely giving Adbert Alzolay some lower leverage innings as he continues to struggle with home runs.

In a tight NL Central race, the addition of Miller could lock down the ninth for the Cubs and even go toe-to-toe with the Brewers and Devin Williams in late games when he returns. However, as I mentioned earlier, relievers are volatile and Miller is still a young player with only 51.2 Major League innings under his belt.

Assuming that Miller continues his dominance, the Cubs make this trade every time. The NL Central doesn't look like it will be run away with, and this could give them a big boost.

Grade: A-

Overall, this trade looks like it could be a big win-win. The A's get players that can come in and help build the future, wherever they are playing, and the Cubs get a dominant reliever to help in the stretch run.