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The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team trying to get bullpen help, ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Pittsburgh has been having a fairly strong season, with a 52-49 record heading into Tuesday. The Pirates bullpen though has been a letdown this year, blowing many save opportunities.
Pittsburgh has a chance before that August 3 deadline to pick up a hometown hero. That is San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller, who is originally from the Pittsburgh area. The Padres closer has been quite effective during the 2026 season, with a 0.89 ERA and 25 saves.
The Pirates need a reliever with the dominant arm that Miller offers. Here’s a perfect trade offer the Pirates could propose to San Diego, to bring Miller home.
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Pirates should start their offer to Padres with Carmen Mlodzinski
The Pirates have a plethora of good pitchers. At least one of them will have to go to San Diego in order for Miller to join the Bucs. Frankly, in order for Pittsburgh to get Miller the Pirates will have to offer more than one player.
For the Pirates, the offer has to start with hurler Carmen Mlodzinski. Mlodzinski has spent time in both the Pirates rotation this season, as well as the Bucs bullpen. He was demoted to the bullpen after Jared Jones returned from injury, and Mlodzinski reportedly wasn’t happy about it.
That is because Mlodzinksi has had a solid season in Pittsburgh, as a starting pitcher. He started nine games and holds a 3.12 ERA. The hurler also has recorded two saves, and posted six victories.
This proposal makes sense because the Padres’ starting pitching has really taken a tough beating this season.
“The Padres are last in MLB in runs per game (3.95) and 27th in starting pitcher ERA (4.78),” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported.
Mlodzinksi would likely find a steady spot as a starter on many other MLB rosters. San Diego could use his reliable arm, and the Padres could feature him as a building block for the future. Mlodzinski is just 27 years old.
If the Bucs want Miller though, Mlodzinski won’t be enough. There’s another Pirates player that will also have to go.
Pirates will also need to trade a top hitting prospect
Pittsburgh will also need to offer another piece to San Diego. The Padres need hitting this season, as well as pitching.
The Pirates can offer a top hitting prospect to the Padres in outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia. Garcia has been a star in the minor leagues while also spending some time with the Pirates this season. He is currently listed as the team’s no. 5 overall prospect for 2026, per MLB.com.
Garcia, an outfielder, appeared in 13 games this season for the Pirates. He is hitting at a .200 average, with seven hits in 35 at-bats.
Working in the minor leagues this year, Garcia is finding his stride. He is hitting at a .283 batting average while having worked for two farm system clubs. The young slugger has nine home runs in the minors this season with 30 RBIs.
Garcia is a new addition this season to the Pirates organization. He was traded from the Boston Red Sox organization, ahead of the 2026 campaign. This young slugger would definitely give San Diego some pop moving forward, as the Padres look to the future.
Pittsburgh will also likely have to offer a draft pick to help land a star like Miller. The Bucs would certainly love to have a Pittsburgh kid come back to the city and help lead the team to a possible postseason berth.
Pittsburgh is ultimately a long-shot right now to land Miller. A Yahoo Sports report finds that the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are likely landing spots.
According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the Padres are definitely interested in shopping Miller. Time will tell if the closer does leave southern California.
The MLB trade deadline is August 3.
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