Padres' Adrian Morejon Makes Intentions Clear as Potential $100 Million Contract Looms

Adrian Morejon signed with the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent in July 2016. He's remained in the organization ever since, pitching 273 major league games since his 2019 debut.

Only four pitchers (the Houston Astros' Bryan Abreu, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Kevin Ginkel, the St. Louis Cardinals' Giovanny Gallegos and the Atlanta Braves' Dylan Lee) have made more appearances for a single team in that time.

The left-hander was in no hurry to leave after the Padres were eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. Morejon, a pending free agent, told reporters that “everybody knows that" he wants to return to the Padres.

“I feel sad because I don’t want to say goodbye,” Morejon said. “But it’s business, and let’s see what happens during the offseason.”

Dennis Lin of The Athletic wrote that Morejon "could attract nine-figure offers from other clubs." That's not middle-reliever money, which is notable because Morejon has been a middle reliever the last three years.

The implication: the Padres aren't just competing against the rest of the league to sign Morejon this offseason. They're competing against teams that might view him as a starter, a closer or perhaps a hybrid role that would command a colossal raise from the $3.9 million he earned in 2026.

Morejon was an All-Star for the first time in 2025, when he went 13-6 with a 2.08 ERA in 75 games out of the bullpen. He was not an All-Star this year, yet he still set career highs in games (76), innings (86.0) and strikeouts (107).

Pitchers have reached free agency coming off comparable seasons. Middle relievers who are signed to close or start — even really good ones, who log a high volume of games and innings — are rare.

Morejon started in the minor leagues, and got a handful of starts early in his Padres career. His current four-pitch repertoire isn't necessarily too limited to work as a starter. And while he might not be as effective pitching out of a big league rotation, Morejon can make the case that he deserves a shot.

The same could be said of his possible transition to closing. Morejon actually pitched better in save situations (.507 opponents' OPS, 2.13 ERA in 42.1 innings) than non-save situations (.587 opponents' OPS, 3.50 ERA in 43.2 innings) in 2026.

The Padres are set at closer with Mason Miller, one of the best in the game. Rotation depth is a potential issue, however, and sliding Morejon into their rotation might be the surest path toward bringing him back. If not, he could end up being by far the highest-paid non-closing reliever in MLB.

There will be competition. Morejon might not be eager to leave San Diego, but another team might be more eager to have him in their 2027 rotation or as their 2027 closer. With that would come much more money than the Padres would likely be willing to offer.

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