A's have scared off bullpen-needy teams with latest Mason Miller report
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The Oakland Athletics are likely to be one of the busier teams at the trade deadline this year. They have players to sell, and they really don't have anybody that's completely off limits in a trade.
The two players that have received the most interest for the Athletics are their closer Mason Miller and their designated hitter Brent Rooker.
Rooker has received interest from a ton of different teams and he will almost certainly be dealt in the next week. Miller, on the other hand, likely won't be dealt despite a ton of teams having interest in him. The asking price for Miller is just way too high.
Oakland's asking price for Mason Miller has scared off potential suitors
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan has a very interesting take on what the Athletics will do this season. Passan thinks they will subtract but do so cautiously. He also touches on the asking price of Mason Miller and why the All-Star closer will likely be staying with Oakland this season.
"Believe it or not, the A's aren't going full liquidation. The ask for closer Mason Miller-- he of 70 strikeouts in 40 innings -- is so high that even teams who desperately need late-inning relief help are balking," Passan wrote.
Teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees have been heavily interested in trying to add Miller, who is still just 25 years old and under team control for the next half decade.
Miller's Baseball Savant page looks like something out of a pitching coach's dream. He's a complete nightmare to face and his stats back that up. With his youth, controllability and incredible talent, the asking price for him would rightfully be quite expensive.
The rumors over the course of the last few months was that Miller would net multiple top 100 prospects as a start to a deal. This kind of return is absolutely unprecedented for a reliever to net in a trade. But having a reliever of Miller's caliber and youth available at the deadline is also unprecedented.
There was never really a world where the A's would get the return they want. That doesn't mean they are wrong for holding onto him though. Maybe the Athletics can put together a competitive team in front of Miller before his contract expires, rather than dealing him.
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