The A's are at it again.
Athletics Facing Backlash for Mason Miller Trade Decision as History Repeats Itself originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Sitting just three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, the San Diego Padres made a splashy move on Thursday's MLB trade deadline day.
In a move that is being heralded as one of the best of the trade deadline, the Padres acquired flame-throwing closer, Mason Miller of The Athletics.
Athletics Trade Mason Miller to Padres for Multiple Assets
While they sent Miller, who frequently hits 100 miles per hour and has 20 saves on the year, along with southpaw starter JP Sears, the A's did land a handful of players in return.
In total, Athletics landed four players, headlined by the No. 3 prospect in baseball, shortstop Leodalis De Vries. The switch-hitting 18-year-old is batting .245 with eight home runs, 46 RBIs and eight stolen bases this season in High-A ball.
With the Athletics sitting in dead last in the AL West, the move to trade the 2024 All-Star pitcher (Miller), wasn't a shocking one. However, it was an unpopular one.
Fans Air Frustrations as A's Trade Trend Continues
"Did you see him asking for more money in the future, John? Too worried about the cash you’d have to pay a good player so you sent him packing just as soon as you could," questioned one fan.
"Trash Can Organization," said another.
"And the yearly A’s purge begins! We will never build a team and win. Vegas getting stuck with another losing Oakland team lol love it," commented one fan.
"This is why we can’t have nice things… #FJF always ruins it. No more #MillerTime," said another.
A's Trade History and What's Wrong With It
The A's are known around the MLB for trading away budding stars before having to pay them. In fact, after they traded former slugger Yoenis Cespedes in 2015, the two-time All-Star revealed the perception around the A's is that they are basically a farm team for the other teams in the MLB.
"Prieto would tell me Oakland is a school where they develop the players, then they let them go,'' Cespedes said. "I was a little surprised to see some of the main figures leave.''
Aside from Cespedes, here are some notable players the A's have traded:
- Carlos Gonzalez (2008), 3X All-Star, 3X Gold Glove, 2X Silver Slugger
- Gio Gonzalez (2011), 2X All-Star
- Josh Donaldson (2014), 3X All-Star, AL MVP, 2X Silver Slugger
- Jeff Samardzija (2014), 1X All-Star (Cubs)
- Yoenis Cespedes (2015), 2X All-Star, 1X Gold Glove, 1X Silver Slugger
- Matt Chapman (2016), 1X All-Star, 5X Gold Glove
- Matt Olson (2022), 3X All-Star, 2X Gold Glove, 1X Silver Slugger
- Mason Miller (2025), 1X All-Star
While moves like the Miller trade do save them money as they have the second-lowest payroll in the MLB ($76.2 million), it does seem to hinder the team's chances of building a contender. The A's haven't made the playoffs since 2020, and this move indicates they aren't close to contending.
There is the silver lining that they'll be able to utilize the prospects they got to build that contender, but based on their history, that doesn't seem to be the case. With fans still upset with team-owner John Fisher for moving the team from Oakland to Las Vegas, the trading of Miller is just another reason on the list for fans to be upset.
Related: MLB Trade Deadline 2025: Instant Takeaways to Padres Landing Mason Miller
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
