After a tough first-round exit in the wildcard round, the Padres face an impending question. With rumors of Mason Miller converting back to a starter and Robert Suarez entering free agency, San Diego’s closer role becomes vacant.

The San Diego Padres are shifting their sights from 2025 to 2026. After a brutal end to a promising playoff outlook, the Padres face some questions heading into next year. After a season in which they led the MLB in bullpen ERA with one of the best five-horse combinations ever seen, the group could suddenly face serious holes.

Current closer Robert Suarez is now a free agent, pending an expected opt-out of his final two years. Meanwhile, former closer and now super-setup man Mason Miller may go elsewhere within the Padres organization. Under team control through 2029, the Padres have the opportunity to develop Miller into a promising prospect. That, of course, would be to move him into the depleted rotation and convert him to a full-time starter. Theoretically, the Padres would be instantly losing two of their most valuable bullpen horses.

The impact and potential shifts for the bullpen

Into the closer role itself, the Padres would presumably have to pick between Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon, and Jeremiah Estrada. Strategically, San Diego would likely opt for Estrada or Morejon as they fit the bill for a closer more than Adam would. However, there’s a financial side to this equation as well.

As Suarez is set to hit the market this season, Morejon and Adam are slated to do the same in the following year. However, it would be most optimal for the Padres to lock down one of the two with a multi-year extension. In that case, whoever San Diego’s front office chooses to extend could have the closer role cut out for them.

Additionally, don’t sleep on Jeremiah Estrada in this competition. Although there’s no real need to ‘re-create’, Estrada’s repertoire is extremely reminiscent of Robert Suarez. Both share the 100 MPH heate, and volatile-yet-ultra-effective offspeed pitc, in Suarez’s changeup and Estrada’s splitter. Take into consideration that Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam both provided immense value by being effective in any situation, and it may be best to retain that philosophy, rather than lock one of them down into a set inning.

Now, this reality is likely years away, but the late-season call-up Bradgley Rodriguez looks destined to earn his way into high-leverage spots eventually. The 22-year-old already boasts closer stuff, featuring a pair of fastballs averaging around 99 MPH along with a wicked changeup. He does struggle to locate at times, due to his delivery being moderately inconsistent. His motion is a max-effort one, and doesn’t provide Rodriguez with a ton of stability. One scout described it as “limbs flying at you.”

DBacks broadcast in awe of Bradgley’s changeup. That pitch is truly an elite pitch for him. pic.twitter.com/9jjo1zfAVj

— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) September 27, 2025

The impact and potential implications for the starting rotation

If Miller can effectively complete the transformation to a starting pitcher, the Padres can approach free agency more comfortably. With Michael King‘s 2026 status in the hands to a mutual option, and Dylan Cease hitting the market freely, the Padres could lose two cornerstones in the rotation quickly. However, the return of Joe Musgrove hopefully can remedy the departure of one or both of the arms. Veterans Yu Darvish and Nick Pivetta will anchor the staff, with Randy Vasquez still available as a fifth starter.

If Dylan Cease departs, the Padres’ rotation will be lacking in one major category: velocity. Dylan Cease regularly sat in the 97-100 MPH range, providing a different look for opposing offenses within a series. King, Musgrove, Darvish, and Pivetta all rely on big breaking balls and focus more on spin and location of the fastball.

Mason Miller on the starting staff would put an end to all of that. Although Miller will likely take a step off the velocity pedal, just sitting in the 97-98 MPH range would be key. In this sense, Miller would be able to switch up the feel of games for opposing offenses. Not only should this benefit him, but it will also contribute to the deception factor of the other four arms.

DBacks broadcast in awe of Bradgley’s changeup. That pitch is truly an elite pitch for him. pic.twitter.com/9jjo1zfAVj

— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) September 27, 2025

Conclusion

At the end of the day, all of these scenarios are hypothetical. It would be thrilling if the Padres took the risk and attempted to convert Miller, but for now, we have only whispers of the idea.

As for Suarez, the likelihood of him being gone is higher, but not certain either. The silver lining is that the Padres could see drastic changes to their pitching, whether through internal shifts or free agency moves. As winter approaches, it will be worth keeping an eye on how G.M. A.J. Preller navigates the situation.

Willy Warren

A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a public baseball media account covering around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X. Willy is set to attend the Cronkite School of Journalism in the fall of 2026 at Arizona State University, where he’ll pursue a major in sports journalism.