Adrian Morejon embraced his role out of the pen and is one of the best set-up men in the game. The San Diego Padres should explore an extension with the lefty before he hits free agency in a couple of seasons. 

The San Diego Padres are arguably in the best period in the franchise’s existence.

Nothing but a World Series title will be deemed acceptable for the next decade. Several players are under contract for the majority of that 10-year span, including Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove.

Of all those names, only one is a homegrown Padre. Jackson Merrill was drafted by the San Diego Padres. That’s it.

Homegrown players are simply rare for the Padres in this era of baseball.

Another player drafted by the team who is deserving of an extension is left-handed pitcher Adrian Morejon.

Since being moved to the bullpen, Morejon has been flat-out dominant. He is a valuable piece and someone who is unheralded in the pitching staff.

Some people believe he has the stuff to be the Padres’ next closer. That is certainly possible. Robert Suarez is currently struggling, and Morejon has saved two games for the Friars. If Suarez were to be traded, Maorejon would be one of the candidates to step in and close games for the Padres.

Adrian Morejon has been an absolute DAWG this season for the Padres pic.twitter.com/QQfpCUwtbQ

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) June 25, 2025

Look at those numbers. He features three pitches that grade out as well above average. He also throws three different fastballs, so in reality, he attacks you with five total pitches. Morejon is hitting the upper 90s with his velocity and tunneling well with his off-speed selections. He is filthy to face, especially for left-handed hitters.

Adrian Morejon is due for free agency after the 2026 season. Now is the time to explore an extension, if possible.

Currently, Morejon is 4-3 with a 1.89 ERA, 0.789 WHIP, and a 2.12 FIP. With numbers like this, the Padres need to secure his services long-term, before he prices himself out of San Diego. The 26-year-old is only scratching the surface of his potential.

Look at the month of June he had, a month in which Padres’ closer Robert Suarez struggled mightily.

Adrian Morejon is TJStats NL Relief Pitcher of the Month for June!

Morejon allowed 0 ER across the month thanks to his incredible ability to induce weak contact and limit base runners. He has been integral to the Padres bullpen pic.twitter.com/XgXJfRwlyT

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 1, 2025

Morejon is on the verge of becoming a household name. Opposing teams’ broadcasters rave about his stuff when he toes the rubber. It’s not just the occasional triple-digit fastball that he throws; it is the fact that he can utilize four other pitches to get hitters out. Morejon changes speeds on his breaking pitches, and that is impressive to see.

At this point, an extension wouldn’t be out of this world in terms of cost. He is earning $2 million this season but will receive a substantial raise next year through arbitration. San Diego could buy out his arbitration year and offer a two or three-year extension, keeping the southpaw in San Diego until the 2029 or 2030 season. Sounds easy, right?

Well, Adrian Morejon is represented by the Scott Boras corporation. We all know that early extensions are not in his vocabulary. He prefers his clients to hit the open market (good or bad). The Padres have a decent relationship with Boras, but would probably need to give Morejon an excellent deal to secure his services.

With money constraints moving forward, the Padres will need to be frugal in some sense. However, Morejon has too much upside and is a homegrown talent. They need to ensure that he pitches for the Padres as the team continues its quest for a World Series title.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.