Padres All-Closer Mason Miller had an incredible July, not allowing a single earned run and winning NL Reliever of the Month. With his name coming up in trade rumors, baseball fans were excited to see what decision the Padres would make with their All-Star hurler. Teams like the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners came up in discussion for potential packages for Miller, but one surprising team in the mix was your very own Chicago White Sox.
Coming off a July where the Sox went 13-12, they enter Tuesday's affair three games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central. Many fans noted that a potential piece that could solidify the Sox as a playoff team was an elite bullpen arm. Mason Miller fit that description. Miller's July was simply a sample of what's been a historic season on the mound, as he's posted an insane 0.76 ERA with 88 strikeouts in only 47.1 innings pitched. He's unquestionably the best closer in baseball.
Mason Miller locks down the save and extends his scoreless streak to 32.2 innings 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6xwL8OU0YF
— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026
White Sox cost of acquiring Mason Miller would've been astronomical
If Chicago was serious about trading for Miller, however, it would have come at a steep price. Mock trades for Miller typically included sending players like LHP Noah Schultz or former lottery pick LHP Hagen Smith to San Diego for his services, and the Padres likely would've started their ask with IF Caleb Bonemer, the White Sox top prospect. While Miller is locked up until 2030, it seems clear that GM Chris Getz and the White Sox front office made the right move holding off. The Padres ultimately didn't move Miller thanks to an 8-1 run before the trade deadline, but I don't get the feeling the White Sox would've been the team to pull the trigger if they had.
Let's not say the White Sox being above .500 is fluky, because that would sell them short of a tremendous turnaround from 2025 that few expected. However, they have too many pieces that are not yet solidified as Major League stars, and trading away the future for a premium closer would have been too risky. The White Sox have fantastic prospect capital right now, and in the opinion of USA Today, they have the eighth-best farm system in Major League Baseball.
There may not be a more exciting and promising team than the White Sox, and to throw that away for a preemptive playoff run would have been foolish.
As it turned out, nobody got Miller, as he's staying put in San Diego as the Padres look to have a successful playoff run of their own. Maybe by next trade deadline the Sox will be more solidified, and they'll have more reasons to go out and get a guy like Mason Miller. They'll certainly have the ammunition to make a big splash.
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