Padres' Adrian Morejon Sent Message to AJ Preller After Trade Deadline

San Diego Padres All-Star pitcher Adrian Morejon made his feelings clear to president of baseball operations AJ Preller after staying put following the trade deadline.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune shared that Morejon thanked Preller for not trading him, and then had a message for him.

“And after that, now let’s continue winning,” Morejon said to the Padres' president of baseball operations.

Morejon stayed in San Diego after heavy speculation that he would be on the move prior to Monday's deadline.

There were a handful of teams who wanted to get their hands on Morejon, most notably the New York Yankees. That said, Morejon expressed a strong desire to remain in San Diego.

There was a report that even claimed the Padres rejected a trade sending Morejon to the Yankees for Will Warren. Although there were rumors surrounding Morejon's potential future with the Friars, San Diego decided to keep their bullpen core intact to support their postseason push.

Morejon has had a stellar 2026 season, being their best high-leverage reliever behind Mason Miller and one of the best lefty relievers in MLB. So far this season, the southpaw has a 2.89 ERA, 75 strikeouts and an 8-2 record in 54 appearances and 62.1 innings of work.

Morejon has spent his entire eight-year career with the Padres and earned his first career All-Star nod in 2025.

Padres Betting on Their Postseason Chances

As the Padres have been for the past handful of years, rather than resorting to sellers, they were buyers.

The Friars shored up their starting rotation by adding left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants and right-handed pitcher Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers.

Preller targeted pitching depth to support a depleted rotation and make a hard push for a National League wild-card spot. As things stand on that front, San Diego is one game away from the final wild-card spot, trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.

"We're trying to win," Preller told reporters on a conference call after the deadline. "We don't apologize for it. We're trying to win championships. We're trying to get to the postseason and do it year after year."

After a rough patch during May and June, the Padres have been surging with a strong run over the past few weeks.

The Padres have won six of their last nine games, and will look to continue chipping away for a spot in the postseason.

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