Latest on Mason Miller Trade Rumors

Earlier this week, it was reported that opposing teams were feeling that this time around the Athletics may listen to trade offers for Mason Miller. We noted that with that rumor, it was opposing teams projecting what they felt, and not exactly something that the A's had said.

On Sunday, Bob Nightengale is now saying, "The Athletics have told teams they’re wasting their time by even calling: They are not  trading closer Mason Miller."

This seems to be closer to reality, given what Miller means to this club. If the A's are to achieve their goal of being competitive in the near future--potentially in 2026--then trading Miller may make them better in other areas, but would also create a hole in the bullpen.

Heading into Sunday's game, the A's bullpen has a 5.41 ERA on the season, which ranks No. 29 in baseball. That is with the former All Star in the mix. Since the beginning of June that ERA has improved a little bit, sitting at 4.54, which ranks 22nd over that span.

While the A's pitching staff has been lackluster as a group this season, it's not as simple as just bringing in new arms to give the club a boost. The team is also figuring out what kind of pitchers may have more success in Sacramento, the team's home for at least the next two seasons. The ballpark is much more hitter-friendly that the Oakland Coliseum was, which certainly hasn't helped the staff's production.

One way they could mitigate the ballpark factors as much as possible is to target high strikeout pitchers--like Miller. The A's closer is striking out 40.1% of the batters he faces this season. Only Aroldis Chapman and Fernando Cruz have higher strikeout rates among qualified pitchers, so this isn't necessarily a skill the A's could replace easily.

This all said, it's worth noting that it was Nightengale that reported that the A's "can't wait to trade" Luis Severino after his comments about playing in Sacramento last month. Athletics on SI spoke with Severino, and he said that he'd had a conversation with A's GM David Forst, who told him that the report was not true, and that Forst would go directly to the player, not the media, if he was upset about something.

While Miller may be off the board for opposing teams, there is still a chance that the club could move other pieces of the roster that may not be as integral to their long-term goals. Forst recently said that the club wouldn't be moving any pieces of their position player core--the question is who exactly is a part of the "core" designation?