In an offseason that is once again shaping up to be pivotal for the San Diego Padres, there are no shortage of decisions that will have plenty of ramifications on the 2027 campaign.
One of the biggest decisions of this offseason lies on the left arm of relief pitcher Adrian Morejon.
The 27-year-old southpaw is not only one of the youngest impending free agents in baseball, but has been one of the most effective pitchers on the list. Morejon is coming off a 2.83 ERA season across a career-high 86 innings of work. He struck out 107 batters (third among relievers) to just 28 walks on the year.
Due to his age and ability, he is projected to be paid as a closer rather than the middle reliever/setup man role that he has done so well for the Padres.
According to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, that number is set to be a five-year, $90 million deal for the man who "fits prominently into the conversation of the most dominant left-handed relievers in baseball".
The reasoning for this deal is similar to what the Los Angeles Dodgers gave to Tanner Scott ahead of the 2025 campaign. Another left-hander, he was two years older than Morejon when he received his contract and came off a dazzling 1.75 ERA season (the latter half spent with the Padres).
Scott was also able to get whiffs (in the 92nd percentile in 2024) and get batters to chase outside the strike-zone (86th percentile) and collected a four-year, $72 million deal from LA. Despite turning around and throwing a 4.74 ERA the following season, it is still the same $18 million AAV that Reuter presented for Morejon.
Speaking of swing-and-miss stuff, Morejon has proven to be among the best in baseball. He has a whiff-rate in the 97th percentile across MLB as batters chase his offerings outside of the zone a staggering 38.6% of the time, good for the 99th percentile.
He has been doing so on a four-pitch mix, frequenting his sinker (which he throws almost half the time), and a lethal changeup that batters have just a .156 average against. In terms of swing-and-miss, that changeup is responsible for 56% of those whiffs generated.
Can The Padres Afford Adrian Morejon?
The Padres have plenty of money on the books through the 2031 season and have the recent reputation of doing whatever they can to keep a balanced budget, but also have a new ownership duo that recently reaffirmed their commitment to winning.
"We said we were ALL IN. We meant it then. We mean it now. All in our people. All in on winning. All in on San Diego, Baja and beyond," new owners Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano shared in an email to Padres season ticket members earlier this month.
“We want to bring a World Series championship to this community and build an organization that makes you proud for years to come, both on and off the field."
It appears clear that if there is a fair offer made from the Padres, Morejon would happily accept. After the Padres were eliminated in the National League Division Series, the southpaw was asked if he wants to return next season, and said “everybody knows that" he wants that.
“I feel sad because I don’t want to say goodbye,” he added. “But it’s business, and let’s see what happens during the offseason.”
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