Grading Every Padres Player From 2026: Relief Pitchers

[Steve Drumwright]

The most dominant part of the San Diego Padres during the regular season, the bullpen was called upon a lot to bail out the starters in 2026. So much so that the Friars went with a "chaos pitching plan" just before the trade deadline to take advantage of the talent of their relief pitchers.

Of course, there were some missteps in the postseason that contributed to the Padres' season ending, but we won't dwell on that. Today, we hand out grades to those durable relievers, who rarely let the team down throughout the regular season.

Not included here is Rodolfo Duran, the rookie catcher who made his MLB debut after 11 minor-league seasons. Duran pitched twice, allowing nine runs over three innings. He would get an A just for the experience.

Previous entries: Grading Every Padres Position Player (2026) | Grading Every Padres Starting Pitcher (2026)

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Regular-season innings pitched in parentheses.

Adrian Morejon (86 IP): B+

The Padres' bullpen leader in appearances (76), innings, and holds (28), all career highs, drastically improved his profile to become the top left-handed setup man in MLB and perhaps the best regardless of what hand he throws with. The most remarkable thing about his performance is he increased the velocity of his four-seam fastball from 97.6 mph to 99.4 miles per hour, which led to a career-high 107 strikeouts, 36 more than his previous best (in an extra 12⅓ innings). He will be a very coveted free agent this offseason.

Wandy Peralta (77⅓ IP): B-

You could probably stump a lot of folks with this fact: Peralta was second among Padres relievers in innings pitched. He is no longer a leverage reliever, notching just four holds, the same as last year. That doesn't mean he didn't have value; Peralta was a key middle reliever that mostly kept games in the situation he inherited.

Bradgley Rodriguez (74 IP): A

Everyone knew that Rodriguez, who turned 21 in May, was going to be a key part of the bullpen. But the right-hander turned out to be very valuable, moving into a leverage role as the season progressed. Rodriguez finished third on the team in holds with 17, posting a 2.78 FIP (2.19 ERA). He will be a huge part of the bullpen moving forward, especially if Morejon leaves in free agency.

Mason Miller (70 IP): A+

Miller just turned in one of the better seasons by a reliever in MLB history with his utter dominance. While fans will remember the postseason walk-off hit he gave up, don't forget about his season-opening 34⅔-inning scoreless streak, a club record. He was so dominant that his FIP (1.17) was lower than his ERA (1.37), while leading the NL in games finished (57) and saves (38). His slider was missed by hitters by an average of 9.4 inches, the second season in a row that pitch was the best in MLB in that regard. He also led MLB relievers with 518 pitches at 100 mph or better (he threw 1,149 total pitches).

Yuki Matsui (64 IP): B+

One of the more underrated stories in the Padres' bullpen, the left-hander had a terrific season. While he finished with a 1.83 ERA, Matsui had a 4.18 FIP, perhaps indicating a little good fortune. He walked too many (13.8% walk rate) and had a slightly above-average 26.2% strikeout rate. Matsui was really good down the stretch, allowing just one run in his final 23⅔ innings, including the postseason. He has the ability to opt-out of his contract, but is due $13.5 million over the next two seasons.

Kyle Hart (64 IP): B-

Hart had the difficult role of being the early long-man in case the starter had to be yanked, and the left-hander was pretty good overall despite his 4.92 ERA (3.63 FIP). He gave up 14 runs over 4⅔ innings in three outings, which will inflate a reliever's ERA quickly. But there was a 17-game stretch in which he had a 1.88 FIP (1.82 ERA) with 27 strikeouts over 24⅔ innings, including three runs in one-third of an inning in one outing.

Ron Marinaccio (47 IP): D

The right-hander was designated for assignment after 33 games and a 5.31 FIP (4.79 ERA). He provided little value to the league's best bullpen.

Jason Adam (34⅓ IP): B

His season started about two weeks late due to his recovery from a quad injury from last season. But he was the primary right-handed setup man until a strained right shoulder sidelined him at the beginning of July until returning during the last week of the regular season. He posted a 4.85 FIP (2.62 ERA) and is also due to become a free agent.

David Morgan (33⅓ IP): C+

Coming off a strong and surprising 2025 in his MLB debut season, the right-hander had a topsy-turvy 2026 that included early struggles, a knee injury and an August demotion. He was very good when he came back up, allowing three earned runs in 11⅓ innings, striking out 13 but walking nine. Walks remain a problem, which could be the reason he did not pitch in any of the six postseason games.

Jeremiah Estrada (31 IP): B-

This feels like a lost season for Estrada. The right-hander went on the injured list three times (right elbow tendinitis, right knee inflammation, right shoulder impingement), which limited him to 33 appearances. Still, he was good as usual when available, with a 3.04 FIP (3.48 ERA).

Jhony Brito (9 IP): C

The right-hander came back from an internal brace procedure and flexor tendon surgery on his right elbow in the second half of the season. Brito was a backup option stashed at Triple-A El Paso as he appeared in five games and allowed three runs in nine innings.

Alek Jacob (5 IP): C-

Jacob came up three times and appeared in just three games, allowing three runs in five innings. The right-hander was DFA'd after the season and went unclaimed, ultimately getting outrighted to the minors.

Bryan Hoeing (0 IP): N/A

After missing most of 2025 with a right shoulder injury, Hoeing was diagnosed with a flexor tendon injury in his right elbow that required season-ending surgery.

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