What would you do if the world told you you could have the most electric closer in baseball 30 hours before the MLB trade deadline? How would you turn chatter into championships? Would you bring back an expensive old friend in the process if it could guarantee you a better shot at glory? This is what the Yankees have on their plate after MLB insider Joel Sherman's latest intel.
According to Sherman, white whale Mason Miller, the 103-spewing mega-monster at the back of the Sacramento A's bullpen, could potentially be available on Thursday. If so, he'll be "coveted" by the Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets.
It's unclear if that's Adrian Wojnarowski draft night-style parlance for "they're all chasing him relentlessly" or if Sherman really is just explaining that, yes, the three biggest-market teams in baseball might all want want a shot at the gas-powered righty with 59 Ks in 38 1/3 innings this season who's also controlled through 2029.
If the Yankees want to differentiate their offer from the rest of the field and turn coveting into attaining, though, they might want to pull their secret weapon from their sleeve. Hey, A's, you know how Luis Severino has made it very clear he doesn't want to pitch on a minor-league mound any longer? You know how you only paid him $22.5 million in 2026 because MLB pointed at your previous payroll and threatened you to spend? We can take him off your hands, as long as you reduce your requested Miller package just a bit. Deal?
Yankees should pull off blockbuster trade package for Mason Miller, Luis Severino of the A's
The last time Severino was on Sacramento's mound on Tuesday night, he collapsed in a bizarre heap after pitch Nos. 2 and 3. Was it in protest? Was he that uncomfortable? His late-June comments about how home games feel like "spring training" did not land well, and reportedly left the A's hungry to trade him. Whatever came of that? His 4.83 season ERA and 98 Ks in 130 1/3 innings pitched, mixed with some customary pitch tipping, don't scream "must-add," but he does have a 4-2 mark with a 3.03 ERA on the road. The Yankees can be the Yankees again if they scoff at his cost and use their financial might to acquire Miller. We know it's in there!
Regardless of whether they can tack on Sevy and reduce the cost or not, Miller will be a remarkably pricy addition. The Yankees will need to be prepared to splurge to insure their bullpen in the long-term, given their lack of controllable high-upside talent on the current roster; both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are free agents, and no one beyond that pair can be trusted.
It sounds more like a dream than a realistic memo passed across Brian Cashman's desk, but credit to Sherman. He has us thinking.
