Grading The 2025 San Diego Padres: Bullpen

We know the San Diego Padres had a great bullpen in 2025. Their relief corps featured three All-Stars, and that was before trading for Athletics' closer Mason Miller. Their collective ERA of 3.06 was the best in MLB by a mile. Boston's pen was the next best, at 3.41. 

How good was each hurler individually? Let's grade them and see how they did. 

Jason Adam: A+

What Jason Adam has brought to the Padres' bullpen over the past two years cannot be overstated. Since 2022, Adam might be the most dominant non-closer in the league. He was at the peak of his game in 2025, appearing in 65 games and pitching to a 1.93 ERA (a 222 ERA+)! He also won a career-high eight games and was worth 2.4 bWAR.

His advanced metrics were also impressive. Adam's pitching run value ranked in the 81st percentile, while his Whiff rate ranked in the 94th percentile. His xBA against was .200, in the 95th percentile. Simply put, he was incredible. San Diego missed him badly down the stretch run. 

It will be interesting to see how San Diego uses Adam in 2026. With Robert Suarez likely out of the building next year, Adam will be a candidate for the closer role, especially if the team plans to convert Miller into a starter. However, Adam has proven his ability as an elite set-up man, so perhaps San Diego will follow the old, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," mantra and keep him in the eighth inning role. 

Adrian Morejon: A+

It has been fun to finally watch Morejon break out. At 26, Morejon was named to his first All-Star game. The lefty was incredible all season. He appeared in 75 games and put up a win-loss record that looked like an elite starter (13-6). Despite the six losses awarded to Morejon, he earns an A+ grade. He finished the year with an ERA+ of 206, a WHIP of 0.896, and 2.4 bWAR. 

Morejon made his mark this year by limiting hard contact. Batters hit for an average exit velocity of 85.9 MPH against him, which put him in the 98th percentile for average exit velocity allowed. Batters only barreled him up 4% of the time, putting him in the 97th percentile for barrel-rate allowed. And their hard-hit rate against Morejon was just 30.7%, placing Morejon in the 99th percentile. It's hard to draw up a better season.

Robert Suarez: A

It feels weird saying Suarez was the third-best reliever on the team in 2025, but that's how good Adam and Morejon were. That should not take away from Suarez, who himself had another fantastic season and was named to his second All-Star game. 

Suarez led the NL with 40 saves, finishing with a 2.88 FIP and 144 ERA+. His fastball continued to be his bread and butter in 2025, ranking in the 97th percentile for both fastball run value and fastball velocity. 

Mason Miller: A

Miller really would have been the best Padres reliever if he had been there all season. In just 22 games with San Diego, he was worth 1.4 bWAR. He only threw 23 1/3 innings. Over the course of a full season (roughly 70 innings for a reliever), he would have been pacing for 6.0 bWAR, which may have been among the best relief seasons of all time. Perhaps that's what the team can expect from him in 2026 and beyond. 

Even just focusing on this year, though, Miller was still electric. His ERA+ as a Padre was 562, with his FIP at a team-low 1.12 and his WHIP at a team-low 0.729. 

The 27-year-old ranked in the 100th percentile in five categories on Baseball Savant. That included his Breaking Run Value, his Fastball Velocity, his xBA against, his WHIFF%, and his K%. He was averaging nearly two punch-outs per inning with the Padres (he struck out 45 in 23.1 innings). 

Miller's secret sauce is his ability to throw one of the hardest fastballs in the league (averaging 101.2 MPH) while also throwing one of the best breaking balls in the league. Put together, he's almost unhittable. He'll likely either join the rotation next spring or take over as San Diego's closer. 

David Morgan: A-

Do dominant relievers grow on trees in San Diego? Morgan, at 25, came to San Diego at the end of May and was one of their top relief arms the rest of the way. He appeared in 41 games, allowing 14 runs in 47 innings. His final stat line included an ERA+ of 161, a FIP at 3.71, and 1.2 bWAR. 

The underlying metrics indicate there may be some regression for Morgan in 2026, as he only ranked in the top 20% in one metric, his Fastball Velocity. Still, he has room to grow and benefits from being part of an already stacked bullpen, so he won't have to pitch in too many high-leverage situations until he is ready (which he already might be). 

Wandy Peralta: B+

Losing Peralta to free agency this season will be an underrated loss. It's guys like Peralta that most teams are looking for: middle-relievers capable of pitching well most of the time, and stepping up in high-leverage situations if needed. 

Peralta appeared in 71 games and had a 137 ERA+ with a 3.62 FIP. While his numbers may not have been elite, he was a workhorse innings eater and finished with a 6-1 record, meaning he hardly blew any leads. He limited hard contact and was among the best in the league at inducing ground balls. He finished the year with a 59.6% ground ball rate, ranking in the 97th percentile. 

Jeremiah Estrada: B+

Estrada followed up his breakout 2024 campaign with another good season in 2025. While he might not have been as dominant, San Diego didn't need him to be, with the stacked group of guys already noted. What the Padres did need from him was innings, which he gave them in spades. He led the team with 77 appearances and completed 73 innings, finishing with a 124 ERA+ and a 1.164 WHIP. 

Estrada's advanced metrics were even better than the stats. His xERA of 2.78 was significantly lower than his actual ERA of 3.45. He ranked in the 98th percentile in K%, the 96th percentile in Whiff%, and the 93rd percentile in Chase%. If this is what a "ho-hum" season from Estrada looks like, it's tantalizing to imagine what is to come.

Yuki Matsui: B

For the second-straight year, Matsui did exactly what the Padres needed him to be, which was a solid left-handed reliever. While he was not their top lefty in the pen, Matsui contributed 63 innings with a 108 ERA+. Despite not throwing the ball very hard, Matsui made batters miss with his breaking ball, which ranked in the 73rd percentile for breaking run value. 

Alek Jacob: D

Jacob was the only Padres' reliever with more than 20 relief appearances to finish with an ERA+ below 108 (his ERA+ landed at just 84). In 33.1 innings, he was worth -0.2 bWAR. He does have solid underlying metrics in a limited sample size, with elite extension ranking in the 97th percentile. He also limited hard hits and barrel rate, indicating he will probably get another shot with San Diego next year, though he'll have to scratch and claw to earn anything besides mop-up duty among this loaded group.