The Padres Lost a Key Piece of Their Bullpen. What Now?

[Samuel Cozart]

Major League Baseball’s best bullpen just took a huge blow and at the worst time. In the seventh inning of Monday’s loss to Baltimore, Jason Adam went down after a pitch and was carted off the field. On Tuesday, the Padres announced that Adam would miss the remainder of the season, placing him on the 15-day IL with a left quadriceps tendon rupture.

The All-Star reliever has been nothing short of stellar this season for San Diego. In 65 1/3 innings (the second-highest mark of his career), Adam has accumulated a 1.93 ERA, 1.148 WHIP, and 2.5 WAR. He's been a tremendous asset amongst a veritable group of elite relievers.

With the loss of Adam, the Padres lose arguably their most well-rounded reliever, as well as their go-to option for the middle innings. If it’s not clear by now, Adam is a crucial piece to making the Padres bullpen the best group in MLB. Luckily, he’s not the only star in the ‘pen for San Diego. He was joined by teammates Robert Suarez and Adrian Morejon as Padres relievers to make this year’s Midsummer Classic. A.J. Preller also approached the trade deadline with the intent of making the bullpen even stronger. That was shown by taking a big swing for Mason Miller. 

If any bullpen is built to withstand a setback like Adam’s injury, it’s this one. There are plenty of names who can fill-in the spots where Adam would be pitching. Miller, Suarez, and Morejon still form a nearly unhittable group on the mound. Having three guys who can step in at any point of the game and completely shutdown opposing offenses is a recipe for success in October.

Assuming that Suarez will maintain his duties as closer through September and beyond, Miller and Morejon will (for the most part) fill the void left with Adam’s absence. Both guys are key reasons as to why Adam’s loss is not as detrimental for the Padres as it would be for nearly every other team in the league, and they should be counted on as the primary bridge options to Suarez when the playoffs begin.

Since being traded to San Diego, Miller has done exactly as Preller had hoped. A 1.50 ERA and 0.917 WHIP in brown and gold bury any of his numbers with the A’s in the dirt. His arsenal is essentially only two pitches, with his legendary four-seam fastball and slider dominating hitters aplenty. He’s also an absolute flamethrower, with his average fastball clocking in at 101.2 MPH. Although his stuff is completely different from Adam’s, the addition of Miller helps lessen the damage of the injury and provides another elite arm that can rise to the occasion. 

Morejon also provides big-time prowess to the bullpen. He is simply one of the best relievers in baseball, and the numbers back it up. According to Baseball Savant, Morejon’s pitching run value is in the 96th percentile. That goes along with an outstanding 0.79 and 1.85 ERA in 63 1/3 innings pitched. 

It’s no question that the Padres bullpen has the star power to fill Adam’s shoes. Where things become questionable is in the play of the bullpen’s depth. Padres fans can expect to hear the names of Yuki Matsui, David Morgan, Jeremiah Estrada, Wandy Peralta, etc. as the season continues. This is where the question marks begin for the bullpen. 

Sure, those guys can be trustworthy coming into the game when leading the White Sox by five in September, but they are more difficult to trust in the postseason. If Mike Shildt sends out the wrong guy in sixth inning of a playoff game, those three outs that otherwise would have gone to Adam could cost the Padres their season. Outside of Suarez, Morejon, and Miller, San Diego is going to have to take risks with who they put on the mound. 

In totality, San Diego’s bullpen depth is still strong, but the margin for error runs much thinner without Adam rounding out the lineup. Come October, expect to see the Padres rely much more on their star relievers than before the injury.

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