A Phillies-A's trade for Mason Miller if he's serious about starting again

Let me start with a bit of a disclaimer. This is completely a hypothetical scenario. Mason Miller is still a closer for the Oakland Athletics. The scenario that we'll be looking at today is how a trade might look if he was moved back to being a starter. Starting pitchers hold a significantly higher value in trades than relievers do, meaning Miller's ridiculous trade value would be even higher than it is now.

The team that has been connected the closest to Miller, throughout the entire season, has been the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have a team that's so well-rounded and complete that they only need to make a few trades this month. This leaves them open to pursuing blockbuster deals because they can use all their prospect capital on one or two huge trades.

Recently, Bob Nightengale reported that Miller, a starter turned closer, is open to the idea of moving back to the starting rotation one day, if the idea makes sense.

“I don’t think I want to close that opportunity," Miller tells USA TODAY Sports. “If the opportunity presents itself, maybe, but with the success I’ve had [as a closer], I think it’s a difficult decision to say I want to get away from that."

With the recent success of transitioning a reliever to starting that the Chicago White Sox have had with Garrett Crochet and the San Fransisco Giants have had with Jordan Hicks, could the Phillies pursue Mason Miller with the same idea in mind?

A Phillies-Athletics trade if Mason Miller is moved back to being a starter

Is this the most realistic scenario? No. Miller has been dominant as a closer. One of the best in the game. But he would hold more value if he could be a 2.00-2.50 ERA starter than he does as a closer.

Miller, 25, started six games for the A's before being moved to the bullpen. He wasn't bad either, recording a 3.70 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 24.1 innings. His strikeouts weren't as high as they are now, probably because his velocity and spin rate are down a bit as a starter.

Miller's value skyrockets as a starter. Instead of Aidan Miller being off the board in a trade, he's the headliner.

Miller, 20, is the 27th-ranked prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He's slashing .245/.363/.424 across two levels of the minor leagues and he projects as a true five-tool prospect with the ability to do everything on a baseball field. Joining him in this deal is another top-100 prospect, Mick Abel. Abel has struggled this season, posting an ERA of 6.88 at Triple-A. Still, his potential is sky high if he can find himself again.

Rincon is an interesting prospect, slashing .204/.333/.366 on the year. Even though he's struggled, he's a 20-year-old switch hitter that projects as a Gold Glove defender at shortstop. If he can develop into a .250 hitter at the big league level, he would be a great addition to any team.

Klassen, 22, may be the most underated pitching prospect in baseball. The righty struggles with command at times, but when he's in and around the zone, he looks like a top-100 prospect. He's found himself this year, pitching to a sub-2.00 ERA in 14 starts across two levels of the minor leagues.

But adding Miller as a starter would be the crown jewel that the Phillies need. He would be locked down -- under team control for the next half decade -- firing 100 MPH fastballs every fifth day for years to come. The Phillies have the prospect depth to lose two pitchers and two shortstops as they have other pitchers and shortstops ranked highly as well.