Will it Soon Be Mason Miller Time on the North Side?

[CandidCubs]

Is Mason Miller a player the Cubs should target at the trade deadline in 2024? I have some thoughts, along with some emotional fan reaction. 

Image courtesy of © Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

In 2016, the Chicago Cubs assembled a team that could do it all. Was this the team that would do “the thing?” Eight years later, we all know the answer to that question, and as a fan base, we spend ample time evaluating what has happened since. 

That season, the Cubs got Ben Zobrist to join up, along with Jason Heyward. The team was solid from top to bottom. However, Héctor Rondón was not the elite closer a World Series hopeful would want. His fastball was better than league average, but he wasn't a shutdown relief ace.

Then came the 2016 trade deadline.

In a year in which the Yankees were pretty uncompetitive, they did have pieces contenders coveted. Specifically, it was flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. The 6-foot-4 lefty boasted a 40% strikeout rate, elite velocity, and was the definition of “shutdown reliever.” He wasn’t without his warts, including a domestic violence situation in a recent offseason. With the Giants and others circling, Theo Epstein sent Rashad Crawford, Adam Warren, Gleyber Torres, and Billy McKinney to the Yankees to land his prize.

The rest is, quite literally, history.

In 2024, Mason Miller has turned heads with his insane numbers and FIP. He is how I learned that FIP can be negative. Miller has thrown 18 innings with 38 strikeouts, featuring a deadly 103-MPH fastball. Oakland has been a bit better than expected (no, they are not good), but the lack of commitment to either the city of Oakland or their players opens the door for trade rumors. 

In the last few weeks, the Cubs have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for the budding star, with the rumored asking price being three of the organization's top 10 prospects to start conversations. 

I'm sorry. THREE?!

If you recall, the Cubs saw Miller for his MLB debut on Apr. 19, 2023. At that moment, he was a budding starter, throwing triple-digit heat even over a full-length start. He had a four-pitch mix.

Alas: With great velocity, comes great injury potential.

Miller struggled with some arm issues and has shifted to the bullpen this year as a result. I am sure the intent is for him to start at some point, but his Fastball Slider combo in the bullpen has been incredible. 

The price tag is high given the lack of comparable arms, along with the fact he has team control until 2029. 

So back to 2016. Theo gave up the number 1 prospect in the system(No. 28 in the Top 100), along with number 6 and change for 2 months plus of Chapman. So in today’s terms, what is a player you get 62 months of control?

The Chicago Cubs in 2024 are not a bullpen arm away from being a high-end team. As much as it hurts my fan heart to type that, it is a cold reality. Part of me is aware that good players are only available when they are available, as the Cub fans who hungered for Devers and others as they signed team extensions. With a team desperate for a super star and showing little financial interest in overpaying to get one, I am not sure Jed will move the “lotto tickets” to address this need. 

It would surprise you who I would move from this system to get a Mason Miller type. I think that is my hunger of shaking up a roster that has plateaued at a floor acceptable for their division. 

Would you trade for Mason Miller? If so who are you proposing to give up?
 

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[jersey cubs fan]

Domestic violence warts

[Bertz]

I'd be pretty shocked if Jed actually pulled down Miller.  I do think we're at the stage of the competitive cycle where he'll be less conservative, but giving up what Oakland will require for Miller's long term control just feels like something Jed will never do regardless of circumstances.  Kind of like signing Hader last winter it feels like we can just dismiss it out of hand.

I do expect bullpen reinforcements.  I'm a broken record but a guy like Ryan Pressly feels like the right level of expenditure.  Maybe paired with a Cuas style "stuff monster who we think we can fix."  Someone like Nate Pearson?

Bullpen aside, I do wonder if we're at the part of the competitive cycle where Jed is more willing to do something dramatic.  The farm has a lot of talent that's major league adjacent, the team's on the meaty part of the win curve, and catcher aside there are no major holes on the roster.  If there is a point Jed will be willing to let his hair down and go for a Vladito or a Jesus Luzardo or something like that this summer feels like the most logical time.

[JHBulls]

Mason Miller’s fastball hisses fire like a cartoon. Would love him, but can’t see it personally. Jed won’t pay the currency that’s required.