A prominent MLB insider believes that if the Oakland Athletics put stud closer Mason Miller on the trade market, a blockbuster deal makes a ton of sense for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.
Heading into the MLB games today, the Phillies and Cubs are among the best teams in the National League and they are both either at the top or in a very real fight for the No. 1 spot in their respective divisions. As of now, all signs point to them being serious postseason contenders and organizations that will be active before the July 30 trade deadline.
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One major weakness for both clubs is the bullpen. While each team has some solid pieces in their pens, they could use help and one player that could be on the trade block is Oakland A’s star closer Mason Miller. While some question if Oakland actually would take offers, on Thursday Bleacher Report MLB insider Jon Heyman made the case for why they should seriously consider taking proposals for their top player.
“They’ve got to investigate [a trade] at least, and if I am them I would look to get a haul for Mason Miller,” Heyman says. “I know it’s a nice story [how the team has performed in 2024], they’re are not going to contend this year, who knows where they play next year, who knows how many fans they have left. I think it’s best for their long-term future if they seriously consider trading Mason Miller.”
So if he does hit the trade block, who does Heyman believe will be top contenders for his services? Well, when pondering that thought, two teams that immediately came to mind for the long-time MLB insider — among the four — were the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.
“The Phillies [have been] mentioned. I think the Orioles are a team that could use bullpen. The Cubs are a team that could use bullpen. Can’t count the Dodgers out of anything. Will the Cubs fix this bullpen? I think they better. They have a solid team, good defense, now you have [Seiya] Suzuki back, [Cody] Bellinger back … the bullpen is the question.”
It was reported last week that Athletics are looking for a huge return in a Miller trade that would include two top-100-level prospects from any interested team.
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