Insider Jim Bowden drops All-Star closer’s name as Mariners trade target

Leading up to the July 31 MLB trade deadline, there have been some splashy names linked to the Seattle Mariners. But for the most part, those players have been big bats, like Arizona’s Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez, and Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn.

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Jim Bowden, an MLB insider and a former big league general manager, dropped a different kind of big name while discussing the Mariners’ trade prospects Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

And this is one that you’re probably not expecting.

“I know (Mariners president of baseball operations) Jerry Dipoto has always wanted Mason Miller from the Athletics,” said Bowden, who contributes to CBS Sports, The Athletic and MLB Network Radio.

Miller is a hard-throwing, 26-year-old closer with a devastating slider who was an All-Star last year. By the way, the Mariners already have a hard-throwing, 26-year-old closer with a devastating slider who was an All-Star last year – and this year, for that matter – in Andrés Muñoz. Not that there’s anything wrong with having two of them.

The A’s are definitely a candidate to sell at the deadline as they enter Thursday with a 38-56 record, well out of the race in the AL West. Miller isn’t having his best season (4.41 ERA, 1.102 WHIP with 17 saves in 32 appearances), but he was one of the best relievers in baseball last year when he posted a 2.49 ERA, 0.877 WHIP and 28 saves in 55 appearances.

Even if Dipoto is truly motivated to pry Miller away from a division rival, which is typically a tougher trade fit, the fact that Miller’s stock is down probably isn’t going to make the A’s more willing to part with him because it would likely limit the return they could get.

“I’m not sure (Dipoto) is going to get (Miller) this time around, but it’s certainly probably worth the conversation,” Bowden said.

An elite back-end of a Mariners bullpen featuring Muñoz, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier and Mason Miller certainly is fun to think about, and it would bolster Seattle’s chances of making noise in the postseason. And if the A’s do make Miller available, there’s value in him still having four years of club control on his contract.

Whether or not Miller ends up being part of the Mariners’ plans, Bowden is confident Dipoto and the M’s will be major players before the trade deadline.

“The good thing about Jerry is the owners are willing to spend some money here at the deadline,” Bowden said, “and his prospect cabinet is full so he has as good a chance of making a trade at the deadline of any of the contending teams in either league.”

Hear the full Bump and Stacy conversation with The Athletic MLB insider Jim Bowden in the podcast at this link or the players near the top of this post. Catch Bump and Stacy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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