Adrián Morejón is a valuable asset for any team in MLB.

Any team that has World Series aspirations could use a late-inning left-handed arm, especially one of this caliber. With the Padres currently on the outside looking in on the N.L. Wild Card race, Morejón could be a trade chip to net a nice piece to the farm and/or some Major League-ready talent.

San Diego’s record stands at 46-47 through the first 93 games of 2026. The Padres’ play in the coming weeks before the August 3 trade deadline will be a large indicator in which direction the front office decides to lean.

Why a trade could be logical

Morejón signed as a free agent with the Padres in 2026 and is currently the organization’s longest tenured player. He hits the open market as a free agent following the 2026 season. In his age 28 season, Morejón is setting himself up for a very large payday, likely to get money as a closing pitcher. Perhaps trying to get around the same amount of pay that former Padres reliever Tanner Scott received when he signed his four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers.

In the eyes of the organization, Morejón may not be seen as a priority to lock up long-term. The team already has a loaded bullpen with Mason Miller under team control through the end of the 2029 season, leaving Preller and his team with other holes to attend to. With the Padres already being tied to the massive contracts of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts, it’s hard to tell whether Morejón fits in the budget for the future years of the squad.

The Padres could be looking to sell some of their pieces with expiring contracts, as they have had a disappointing season to this point. The possibility of parting ways with such a vital part of the Padres’ success over the past few seasons is tough, but it can be beneficial for the organization going forward.

However, under the new ownership of José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, this situation seems a bit different than years past. Perhaps they’d be eager to show their commitment to the fans and the city by making a splash to keep Morejón in San Diego for years to come.

Morejón’s standing

Morejón has established himself as one of, if not the best, left-handed relievers in baseball. From 2024 to this point of the 2026 season, Morejón has accumulated a 4.9 fWAR, good for the fourth-best among all relief pitchers. The 99+mph sinker paired with his devastating changeup and slider accounts for a 63.4% ground-ball rate, which ranks in the 100th percentile in all of MLB in 2026. Morejón is certainly still a threat to strike batters out. The lefty has a K/9 of 10.7 in 2026, a higher clip than in years past.

Nobody’s barreling or touching the lefty as well. Morejón’s opponents have just a 2.5% barrel rate against him, and they also whiff 35.3% of the time. Both of these percentages are good for the 99th and 96th percentiles in baseball, respectively.

Adrian Morejon leads all relievers with a 122 proPitching+ this season, and Tanner Scott matches the grade at 122 with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP to back it up. Two of the nastiest relief arms in baseball right now. pic.twitter.com/md3bQP4dz9

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) June 29, 2026

For some more basic stats, in 2026, Morejón has tossed 47.0 innings, striking out 56 batters, to give him an ERA of 3.45. Morejón got roughed up a bit in the early going of the season, as seen with the higher ERA. Although the higher ERA, that number is not indicative of who he has been for this team.

An underrated part of the Cuban-born lefty’s game is his ability to work more than just a typical relief arm. There are some nights when Morejón throws upwards of 30 pitches in a game and grabs an inning plus worth of outs. In a postseason setting, this ability becomes ultra-valuable.

What San Diego may seek

Dealing Morejón may not happen, but if it does, San Diego should be receiving a pretty good package that makes sense for them. From A.J. Preller being extremely aggressive in the prior two trade deadlines in 2024 and 2025, there are not many high-level prospects to move if the team chooses to buy. In a trade involving Morejón, San Diego might want to bring in some Major League-ready talent that could contribute instantly, or reload on some prospects for the future.

Starting pitcher looks to be a huge area of need, with the lack of starters with control at the big league level. Michael King can opt out of his current contract after 2026, Joe Musgrove has been injured for much of his five-year deal, and while Nick Pivetta has been great when healthy, there are also opt-outs within his deal. Getting a guy who can be a mainstay in the Padres’ rotation for years to come is something that provides the pitching staff with much-needed stability.

With the trade deadline just under a month away, Adrián Morejón will be an interesting guy to keep an eye on. Competitive teams are always looking to improve their bullpens and grab relievers at the deadline, and A.J. Preller is constantly finding ways and getting creative to build the best roster for years to come. Maybe that means parting ways with one of the top relievers in baseball and retooling for the future.

Angel Flores

Angel grew up a San Diego sports fan, following the Padres, SDSU athletics, San Diego FC, as well as the Chargers. He is currently a third year community college student, and will transfer to SDSU to pursue a career in Journalism.