Padres give Mariners obvious cue to move off Mason Miller with Kade Anderson ask

With the Monday 3 p.m. PT trade deadline fast approaching, it's already proven to be a successful one for Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners. They've managed to rid themselves of Luis Castillo and the remainder of his salary, while also picking up the right-handed bat they need who can hit lefties, in Taylor Ward. On top of all this they also still have a chance at getting the reliever they want in Mason Miller, but it comes with a massive catch.

It's no surprise that the Mariners have checked in on Miller, who is the best reliever in the majors and wanted by a number of teams. And the Padres have actually said they're willing to send him to Seattle. However, as per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, San Diego has asked for Kade Anderson in return.

There's no denying that adding Miller would be a significant boost to the Mariners, given all the issues the bullpen has had this season with injuries and erratic performances. He's on course for a career year with a 0.76 ERA and 0.803 WHIP, while ranking in the 100th percentile in a variety of categories, including Fastball Velo, K% and xBA. He's also under team control through the 2029 season, which only enhances his value.

The type of choice which can be agony for a team, with the added pressure of the clock ticking down

However, we're still talking about Anderson as the return price, who is the top pitching prospect in the game. He's having an outstanding first season of professional baseball, with him more than justifying being the third overall pick last year. He leads the minors with a 1.20 ERA and 0.656 WHIP, and is expected to make his Major League debut at some point this year.

The only reason Anderson hadn't already been called up by the Mariners, was due to their surplus of starting pitching. Dipoto and Justin Hollander had both said they will only promote him if he can start, as pitching out of the bullpen would sabotage his development. Well, with Castillo now gone there is one less obstacle in the way, and the thinking has always been that Anderson would get called up on Sept. 1 at the latest, when Major League rosters expand.

Still, the prospect of adding Miller to be the bullpen must be an extremely enticing one. In addition, the Mariners do have another young pitcher who's expected to be ready sooner than later for the majors, in Ryan Sloan. Ultimately, this comes down to how much the Mariners want to be all-in immediately on their pursuit of a World Series, versus thinking of the very near-future and keeping hold of Anderson.

In our humble opinion, we would stick with Anderson, who has the very realistic ceiling of a future staff ace. Lets also consider that the Mariners have some key relievers back soon from injury, in Matt Brash, Carlos Vargas and Cooper Criswell. Sure it's a gut-check of epic proportions when faced with the prospect of landing Miller, but it isn't worth it -- even for him -- if the price is giving up the best pitching prospect in the game.

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