The Athletics grabbed RHP Mason Miller in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He wasn’t exactly a household name coming out of college – made the jump from D3 Waynesburg University to D1 Gardner-Webb for his graduate year – but the guy was absolutely electric that final season.
Miller didn’t waste time getting to the majors.
He made his MLB debut on April 19, 2023, against the Cubs as a starter and immediately grabbed everyone’s attention by throwing 15 pitches above 100 mph. That’s how you announce yourself.
The A’s moved him to the closer role the following year, and Miller responded by earning a spot as a reserve in the 2024 All-Star Game. His signature moment? A 103.6 mph fastball to Trea Turner that had people talking for weeks.
But here’s where things get interesting. Miller became one of the most coveted arms heading into the 2025 trade deadline, and the San Diego Padres made an offer Oakland couldn’t turn down.
The A’s shipped Miller west in exchange for Leo De Vries, Braden Nett, Eduarniel Nunez, and Henry Baez. Four prospects for their flame-throwing closer.
Since then, Oakland’s gone with a closer-by-committee approach, and heading into camp, that ninth-inning job is wide open. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter breaks down the situation:
“The Athletics enter camp with a closer-by-committee outlook in the aftermath of last summer’s Mason Miller trade, and bringing aboard veteran Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr. adds experience to a young relief corps. Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris were two of the team’s most effective relievers in 2025, and Sterner has the swing-and-miss stuff to fit in the late innings, but track record will likely win out to open the year.”
The way I see it, they’ll probably stick with the committee approach for most of the season. But Scott Barlow seems like the guy who’ll get first crack at those save opportunities.
That veteran experience matters, especially when you’re trying to replace someone who could touch 104 mph on any given night.
