The San Diego Padres have been in trade rumors and speculation recently, and it’s all been about the potential for a second-straight season with a Mason Miller blockbuster.

A.J. Preller acquired Miller last summer at the deadline from the Athletics, and now, a year later, Miller’s name has reemerged as a trade target. But there’s a significant reason to doubt a trade actually happens.

However, Dennis Lin of The Athletic is predicting that Miller is traded by the Padres, just not when most might expect, given the rumors ahead of the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

Padres predicted to trade Mason Miller, just not at 2026 MLB trade deadline

“Mason Miller gets traded … next year,” Lin predicts. “… San Diego eventually might be compelled to flip him for controllable starting pitching – and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will at least listen to offers – but now feels a bit soon.”

While Lin is predicting that Miller will be traded by the Padres, that prediction wouldn’t come true until after the 2026 MLB season.

Miller is under club control through the 2029 MBL season, giving the Padres plenty of time to determine if they want to trade the superstar closer.

He’s only 27 years old and is having an incredible season so far in 2026. He has a 0.82 ERA with 2.5 bWAR, 27 saves, and 80 strikeouts. in 43.2 innings pitched.

MORE: Padres likely not to trade Mason Miller amid latest update

There’s not another closer in baseball more valuable than Miller right now, considering the control and the dominance on the mound. He’d fetch a huge return, and the Padres might actually consider trading him.

But Lin is predicting that such a trade will come after the 2026 season. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise, as over the offseason, the Padres might be able to drum up more interested teams and spark a bigger bidding war.

While plenty of clubs will show interest in Miller this summer, the offers might not be as robust as they could be over the offseason, or even at a future deadline.

It will be very interesting to see what happens with Miller this summer, as there might not be a more fascinating superstar, other than Tarik Skubal, who could be on the move this summer. And knowing Preller, just about anything is on the table.

More MLB news: