No one expected the New York Yankees to be in the spot they are now. They started the season with a zeal to erase the embarrassment of the World Series matchup they had. For a while, they were on fire too. However, given how poorly the team has aged this season, and with their star Aaron Judge out of the picture now, even making it to October would be a blessing.

They had a chance to make some key reinforcements at this trade deadline. And they did get David Bednar, Jake Bird, and Camilo Doval. That was a good start. But were they the biggest names in the market? That’s questionable. They surely missed out on some key players, and they needed relievers for sure. One name among many they missed was Mason Miller.

But what’s the real reason for Miller not being in pinstripes? According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yankees were not able to satisfy the A’s request for a package. “The Yankees were unwilling to satisfy the A’s request for a package headed by either shortstop George Lombard Jr. (No. 14 on Law’s list) or outfielder Spencer Jones, in addition to young pitching,” Rosenthal penned down. That’s why they settled for Bednar, Doval, and Bird—good arms, but not game-changers.

The sad truth is that even Brian Cashman, not usually one to be blunt, had to admit it. “We tried. There were some guys we couldn’t match up on.” The Yankees GM said after the deadline, “It wasn’t for a lack of effort.” So, of course, they are regretting their decision, and rightly so if this is in reference to the case of Miller.

See, the Oakland A’s closer has been electric this season. His fastball hits 101.1 mph, and he has logged a 3.76 ERA. Plus, 59 strikeouts through 38⅓ ⅓ innings this season. Plus, he is under club control through 2029! So, of course, he was kind of the crown jewel of the reliever market. And the Yankees were in on him, according to reports, along with three other clubs like the Mets and Phillies.

The Bronx has always been a team, following what fans know as the “Yankee way.” They received plenty of flak for moving away from this traditional way for short-term gains. Maybe the front office heard the fans and decided not to trade away their top prospects. And hence, Padres got the chance to come in and swoop in even if late. For a team that needed to go big, New York chose to play safe, and it might cost them October. But how did the Padres swoop in so late and snatch Miller from both the New York teams? It’s actually quite interesting—and possible for one man alone—Padres GM A.J. Preller.

How the Padres tactfully snatched the Yankees’ top target

Both the New York teams were circling, and yet it was the Padres who quietly in the background pulled off one of the biggest heists of the deadline by landing Mason Miller. How does this happen? How did the Padres, the clear non-frontrunners in Miller’s sweepstakes, end up with the top reliever in baseball? It was not luck, but patience and persistence.

According to Rosenthal, A.J. Miller did not start the conversation with Mason in mind. In fact, the talk started around lefty starter JP Sears. While the other teams, like the Yankees, were busy with negotiations, the Padres remained online. But assistant GM Josh Stein kept in regular contact with Oakland and built trust, and kept the doors open. And here is where it gets interesting.

Preller knew that the Padres didn’t have the top-end pitching prospect the A’s ideally wanted. But what they did have was flexibility and the will to make it work. The turning point came when Preller made top prospect Leo De Vries available. That was the thing that changed the flow of the conversations. But he didn’t stop there, as Preller didn’t just want Miller. He wanted to ensure that the rest of his roster was in place before he let go of De Vries.

So once the Padres were confident they could bring the reinforcements from offense, defense, and rotation, they were all in. Preller later mentioned, “You’re never going to badger a team… It’s more about continually being active and checking in.” And it worked. While the Yankees hesitated, San Diego closed the deal when they saw that window.