Yankees-Padres trade proposal not including Mason Miller is 'no-brainer'

The New York Yankees and San Diego Padres appear to be logical trade partners. 

But that doesn't necessarily mean dominant All-Star closer Mason Miller is coming to the Bronx. 

San Diego has another reliever that could interest the Yankees. The left-hander would cost less in terms of prospect capital. 

On Monday, The Athletic's Chris Kirschner proposed the following trade idea between the AL East and NL West clubs: 

• Yankees Receive: RP Adrian Morejon 
• Padres Receive: SP Elmer Rodriguez, SP Bryce Cunningham 

Morejon would instantly become the Yankees' setup man for closer David Bednar. The impending free agent has had a dominant season in high-leverage situations for the Padres, but his performance may be overshadowed by Miller's greatness. 

"The addition of Morejón, an impending free agent, would give the Yankees a formidable back end of the bullpen with David Bednar closing games, Morejón as the eighth-inning reliever, and Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz deployable in fireman roles," Kirschner wrote. 

Would the Padres agree to this deal? Former MLB GM Jim Bowden says yes. 

"The Padres need to rebuild their rotation, and acquiring two future back-of-the-rotation starters, each with six years of club control, for Morejón, a two-month rental, should be a no-brainer, even though San Diego is still in the National League wild-card race," Bowden wrote. 

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Cunningham, New York's No. 10-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline, has a 4.63 in 13 appearances this season at High-A. 

Rodriguez has made four starts for the Yankees with mixed results, partially due to a lack of command that is typically strong. 

The Padres could do a lot worse than this, and the Yankees would still add one of the best relievers in baseball without subtracting from their Major League roster. 

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