Adrian Morejon Receives Qualifying Offer From Padres

[Steve Drumwright]

 

The San Diego Padres have made their move to retain one of their top relievers. Now the question is: Will he accept it?

Left-hander Adrian Morejon was given a $23.15 million qualifying offer for the 2027 season on Monday. Morejon, one of eight players to receive a qualifying offer this offseason, now has 10 days to decide whether to accept it or become a free agent. No other Padres free agent received a qualifying offer.

Morejon had been expected to be the top reliever on the market, expected to fetch a multiyear contract worth as much as $20 million by some estimates.

The 27-year-old boosted his value this season by pitching a career-high 84 innings and 76 games, while crushing his previous career best with 107 strikeouts (71 in 2024). Finding a few more ticks on his four-seamer, which averaged 99.4 mph this year, his strikeout rate went from a career mark of 24.2% all the way up to 30.4% in 2026. His walk rate, however, suffered, going from 6.9% in his first seven seasons to 8% this year.

The Padres would be due draft-pick compensation if Morejon declines the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, depending on the size of the contract. This also gives the Padres more time to exclusively negotiate with Morejon and a long-term contract.

 

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