​At first glance, the headline looks like some kind of hot take joke. The idea that the San Diego Padres would trade closer Mason Miller at all, much less for a haul of prospects, sounds completely ridiculous.And yet there it is.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s not just some loose-cannon media type looking to score eyeballs and readers. The rumor is being floated in multiple sources, including on MLB.com, with MLB Network insider Jon Heyman stating that the Bronx Bombers “love the idea of adding Mason Miller,” who would fulfill New York’s need for a dominant arm with current closer David Bednar on the verge of free agency.For the Padres, the trade equation is much more complicated. The Padres were hoping to contend in NL West, but instead they finished the first half with a 17-28 run, and they have an aging roster to go with a pitching staff that’s been running on fumes for several weeks now after losing starters Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove to injuries early in the season.But trading Miller would be tantamount to waving a white flag for this season, which wouldn’t make much sense given that the Padres rebounded over the weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays to draw back to within 3-1/2 games of a wild-card spot.So what would have to happen for San Diego to seriously consider this? Start with a bad road trip. The Padres start the second half of the season with a chance to rack up at least a couple of wins against the Kansas City Royals, and after that they head to Atlanta for four games before meeting the Miami Marlins in south Florida.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Marlins are one of the teams ahead of the Padres in the wild-card chase, but a sub-.500 road trip would open the door for San Diego to possibly become a seller.The wild card in all of this is the ownership part, which is still in process. The sale of the team was supposed to be concluded by now, but the final sale date has been pushed back twice now as MLB evaluates the financial bona fides of the various investors who are backing controlling owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. The latest reports have the sale being completed in August after the deadline, so no one knows whether the Padres will be buyers or sellers.There’s also the question of whether the Yankees have what it takes to meet the demands of Padres GM A.J. Preller, which would undoubtedly sky high. The ask would be something like Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, plus outfielder Spener Jones and premium shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr., which might make the trade a non-starter.