Reds have everything to pull off blockbuster with Padres, but the timing feels wrong

Re-signing of closer Emilio Pagán to a two-year, $20 million deal was crucial to the Cincinnati Reds' success this offseason. The Reds now have two high-leverage relievers (Pagán and Tony Santillan) to deploy in the eighth and ninth innings heading into the 2026 season.

But for all the success Pagán and Santillan found in 2025, neither is considered to be an All-Star-caliber option. The Reds don't have that shut-down closer at the backend of the bullpen, but it would certainly help the team's cause in 2026.

The trade market is rife with relief pitchers, and the Reds have the pitching depth and an abundance of prospects to complete a blockbuster trade. If Cincinnati really wants to take a big swing, Nick Krall and the front office will have a hard time keeping their eyes off Mason Miller.

Mason Miller is alluring, but the Reds can allocate their trade resources elsewhere

It's hard to believe that the San Diego Padres — after dealing top prospect Leo De Vries as part of the return at the trade deadline — are listening to offers for closer Mason Miller. If available, the Reds must at least put in a perfunctory call to Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. Miller is the hardest thrower in baseball, and ranked first among all MLB pitchers in whiff (45.2%) and strikeout rate (44.4%) in 2025. The fireballers has locked down 50 saves over the past two years.

With four years of team control remaining Miller would be the ultimate trade target for a Reds team that's needed an elite closer in the worst way since Aroldis Chapman was hurling 100-plus mph missiles in the ninth.

But all those incredible metrics and cheap salaries mean Miller will cost a fortune in a trade. The Reds don't have anyone in the system that is as highly ranked as De Vries, and their top two prospects -- Sal Stewart and Alfredo Duno -- are too important to the future to be part of any deal.

The pitching-needing Padres know what they have in Miller and would likely be unwilling to part with the flamethrower for a regressing version of Chase Petty or perhaps even one year of Brady Singer. It's hard to imagine Cincinnati's front office parting with a controllable starter like Nick Lodolo or Andrew Abbott for a reliever; even one as good as Miller.

The trade market is more likely to yield fruit for the penny-pinching Reds than free agency, but a line has to be drawn somewhere — Miller is a luxury, not a necessity. If the team is to deplete some of its prospect or pitching depth, it should be for a middle-of-the-order bat who can help turn the offense around.