The Royals bullpen in 2026 became a focal point of the struggles in the season, as no one could really stand out outside of Daniel Lynch IV, before his transition back to being a starting pitcher. They had one of the worst bullpens in the league, and heading into 2027, they need to revamp the bullpen. Free agency is one of the ways they can go about it as well with an intriguing class of relievers hitting the market.
Topping the free agent relief market will be San Diego Padres setup man Adrian Morejon, who is coming off another stellar season in the Friar bullpen. Morejon has become one of the best arms out of the arm barn in the Major Leagues over the past two seasons, combining for 5.1 fWAR in those two seasons. In 2026, he had an ERA of 2.83 while accruing 2.8 fWAR and throwing a career-high 86.0 innings. Let's dive into why the Royals need to focus on him as a primary target.
The Kind of Reliever the Royals Need
When you think of the last dominant Royals reliever, who do you think of? Some might go with Carlos Estevez in 2025, as he led the league in saves; others will go Wade Davis, who put together arguably the two best reliever seasons, but in between, there hasn't been a truly dominant reliever for the Royals. They have had some solid reliever seasons, but not someone who could go out there consistently to get big outs.
Morejon has made a name for being a dominant threat who can get out of any jam, as shown by his wPA being 3.23 in 2026 with a player leverage index of 1.69. He also brings a skill set that the Royals have desperately needed. Morejon has elite stuff, can get outs in multiple ways at elite rates, and has shown consistency doing both of those things.
For example, he strikes out batters at a 30.4% rate, forces hitters to hit grounders at a 58.0% rate, and limits walks at 8.0%. The last Royals reliever to have those numbers, with at least 30 innings pitched, is Kris Bubic in 2024, and he barely made the cut at 30.1 innings pitched. Morejon did this with and 86 inning sample size.
The calling card for Morejon for the majority of his career is his elite stuff, and the Royals lack that in their bullpen. Morejon, according to Stuff+, has the second-best value at 129 and features four pitches that have values of 127 or better. The Royals' best reliever in Stuff+ is Steven Cruz at 109, and a majority of that value comes from his slider valued at 126 Stuff+. That isn't a knock on Cruz, but the Royals haven't had a reliever with that dominant of stuff since Wade Davis.
The Royals need a reliever who can come in high-leverage situations and get outs in a multitude of ways. Morejon fits that mold perfectly and the Royals need to make him a priority. Plus just look at his Baseball Savant percentiles, every bullpen wants a guy like him.
Now, to discuss the main issues with the Royals trying to get him in their uniform.
Will the Royals Open the Checkbook for Morejon
With the failure of 2026, the biggest question with the Royals will be how much they are going to be willing to spend to try and make a run in 2027. Going after Morejon, or one of the other top reliever arms, is going to be the key to how aggressive the Royals will get. Another issue is that there will more than likely be a bidding war for Morejon as he is one of the best relief arms and he is only 27-years-old hitting free agency.
Currently, he is projected to get a massive deal that could reach the $100 million threshold. Using current big reliever deals, some project him to get something similar to Tanner Scott's deal with the Dodgers, which is a 4-year pact worth $72 million, but given Morejon's age it will probably get very expensive, very quickly.
The other issue is that the Royals need a closer, and Morejon hasn't been doing a lot of that in his time with the Padres. He has had to sit behind Robert Suarez and Mason Miler the past three seasons, so save opportunities for Morejon were few and far between. That could be a deterrent for the Royals, as a closer is very important for them to solidify given the current state of the bullpen.
Conclusion
The Royals badly need a revamp in their bullpen, as they aren't a group that features highly touted stuff, struggle in high-leverage situations, and overall just stunk in 2026. Morejon has shown consistency in high-leverage situations, has elite stuff, and has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past three seasons. If there is a reliever to swing for the fences for, it is for a 27-year-old fireballer who has dominated whenever he comes out of the bullpen. The only question is whether the Royals are in the mix for Morejon.
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