Padres Free-Agent Case: Adrian Morejon Is Due For A Big Payday

There are three major questions for the San Diego Padres entering the offseason after their elimination from the NL Division Series by the pennant-winning Milwaukee Brewers. Each of Michael King, Ty France and Adrian Morejon have different scenarios regarding their future with the Friars. King, the right-handed starter who blossomed into a staff leader if not an ace, can opt-out of his contract. France, signed to a minor-league deal, emerged as the Padres’ everyday first baseman after nearly being cut in spring training and feels like a lock to return.

Then there is Morejon. The left-handed reliever is hitting the open market for the first time as a free agent. While he would love to return to the Padres, he is already a coveted late-inning bullpen arm that other contenders will pursue heavily if allowed.

Adrian Morejon's 2026 Season At A Glance

To understand how we got here, we need to take a look at Morejon’s 2026. Depending on how you like to look at things, he has been one of the top left-handed setup relievers over the past three seasons. While many of his metrics were at elite levels in 2026, his 2025 was statistically better.

He had a 2.37 FIP (2.83 ERA) this year compared to a 2.28 FIP (2.08 ERA) in 2025. His appearances were nearly identical (76 in 2026 to 75 last year), both times finishing nine games and notching three saves. Where the statistical differences came was in his innings total, jumping from 73⅔ in 2025 to 86 this year, with a dramatic increase in strikeouts from 70 to 107 and strikeout rate from 24.5% to 30.4%. His walks increased nearly 50% from 17 to 28 and his walk rate spiked in tandem from 5.9% to 8%. He also hit five batters this year after plunking none in 2025 and only two previously in his career.

Metrically, Morejon was in the red in 13 of the 16 Statcast categories for pitchers, all at the 90th percentile or better and six in at least the 97th percentile. That included a chase rate of 38.4% that was in the 99th percentile. Last year, only Morejon was in the 90th percentile or higher in eight categories and four at the 97th percentile or better. That year saw Morejon rank in the 99th percentile for hard-hit rate (30.7%) and 98th for average exit velocity (85.9 mph). His chase rate in 2025 was at 32.1%, which was in the 87th percentile. Most notably, his four-seam fastball velocity jumped from 96.5 mph to 99.3 mph and his sinker from 97.7 to 99.5 mph.

Why the Padres Should Re-sign Adrian Morejon

There is no question that the Padres should re-sign Morejon. It will come down to whether they can. Morejon has been with the Padres since the Cuban signed as an international free agent in 2016. He is a rare homegrown Friar at the MLB level.

Bringing back Morejon is a no-brainer from the point of view of keeping the dynamic pairing of him with superstar closer Mason Miller intact, not to mention young right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez, who was a rookie this year. Being a left-hander probably elevates his value a bit as well.

Morejon will be pursued as a closer by some teams and as a set-up guy by most others. While you can never count out the Los Angeles Dodgers, other contenders will be more motivated, which will increase his cost. Spotrac has Morejon with a projected value next season of just under $8.7 million, though that's far lighter than the actual terms he'll receive in free agency (Spotrac tends to undervalue non-closers). Is that something new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones can afford? Most definitely. Morejon’s return will give the Padres three major weapons at the back end of the bullpen, a unit that was most responsible for holding the team together and getting them to the postseason.

Why the Padres Should Not Re-sign Adrian Morejon

This will all come down to a financial decision. Miller is projected to make $8.1 million in arbitration. Players don’t really get jealous of another’s contract, it is more of whether the Padres would fork out at least $17 million for two relievers, a position that is underpaid due to its volatility.

Again, Morejon. who turns 28 in February, won’t get $8.7 million, as the Spotrac projection states. He will get more. Consider what the big-name closers get. Former Padres left-hander Josh Hader got five years, $95 million from the Houston Astros. Right-hander Edwin Diaz has two of the top deals for a closer. First, he got a five-year, $102 million deal from the New York Mets, then a three-year, $69 million contract from the Dodgers last offseason. Hader’s deal came as a 29-year-old, while Diaz’s Mets deal was when he was 28 and, after opting out, his Dodgers pact came at 32. Those are the top three average annual values for a closer contract ($19M, $20.2M, $23M).

Without any semblance of a track record as a closer, Morejon would be hard-pressed to reach that level. The top-paid setup guy in 2026 was another former Friar, Robert Suarez, who inked a three-year, $39 million contract with Atlanta last offseason. But the question comes back around to whether the Padres will commit at least $21 million to their top two relievers, a number that will grow as Miller’s salary increases in 2028 and 2029 through arbitration.

The Bottom Line

Could the collective-bargaining agreement negotiations work in the Padres’ favor? Most certainly. The fact also is that Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has already certainly at least gauged what Morejon’s agent is feeling from a marketplace perspective. This is the time of year where agents show their value to their clients.

Morejon’s agent may already know of which teams are interested in his client through whatever back channels are tapped. Along with that comes parameters for salary numbers. But the only team that can negotiate with Morejon at the moment is the Padres. They hold that right through five days following the World Series. After that, it is a free-agent free-for-all.

Preller also has a nuclear option available to him: the qualifying offer. Preller giving Morejon the qualifying offer would lock the reliever in at a reported $23.15 million for 2027 and allow Morejon to hit free agency again after next year. With as much volatility as is expected with the shortened negotiating window due to the lockout, Preller should have the advantage in contract talks.

If Preller feels that Morejon could be hitting the market, he might hit the qualifying offer button and take all the drama out of the situation. Only a handful of relievers have received a qualifying offer: Hader, Diaz and Raisel Iglesias among the recent ones. While all three of those relievers rejected the qualifying offer and found homes elsewhere, Morejon isn’t getting a $23.15 million payday elsewhere and would return in a heartbeat to the Padres, trying again next offseason when more is known about the financial landscape under a new CBA.

Otherwise, Preller can use the Suarez deal and the four-year, $72 million deal the Dodgers gave Tanner Scott as templates. Four years feels right, which would mean something in the neighborhood of a $60 million package. This will be the first test of the financial commitment Feliciano and Jones have for the Padres. Without signing a single free agent, the Padres are projected to have a 2027 payroll of $220 million. That includes all the arbitration projections.

Even with a tight budget facing them, the smart bet is that Morejon returns one way or another.

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