Padres' 'Under-the-Radar' Reliever Could Single-Handedly Change Their Postseason Fate

An up-and-coming relief pitcher could prove to be the X-factor this October.

Sep 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez (72) has a conference during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The San Diego Padres have their work cut out for them this postseason.

It has been a whirlwind of a year for the Friars between injuries, stagnant bats, ownership changes and just about everything else in between, but none of that matters when the wild-card round begins on Sept. 29.

One of the only constants in San Diego has been the bullpen.

With a mammoth group of hurlers headlined by Mason Miller (1.12 ERA), Adrian Morejon (2.85 ERA) and Yuki Matsui (1.92 ERA), the relievers have held things together during some of the weakest stretches of the season.

Among the crew, there is a rookie reliever from Venezuela who MLB.com's Mike Petriello labeled as an under-the-radar reliever that can rule October.

Bradgley Rodriguez has a 2.38 ERA this season across 68 innings of work. He has 74 strikeouts to just 18 walks on the year and appears to have the stuff to be a major difference-maker come October.

Even though his 98.2 mph average fasbtall velocity puts him in the 93rd percentile among active pitchers, Petriello asserts that his changeup is what sets him apart from the pack.

"Instead, [Rodriguez] is one of the very few pitchers who throws his changeup more than 40% of the time, and if you do that, it had better be good," wrote Petriello.

"It is, of course, very good, allowing a .134 average and piling up +12 runs of value, making it the fourth-best changeup of the season. Rodriguez is more of a good bat-misser than a great one. Instead, he allows some of the weakest quality of contact of any pitcher in the game. Again, just what the Padres needed."

Rodriguez is among the best in baseball when it comes to weak contact, allowing batted balls hit 95 mph or over just 29.8% of the time, good for the 96th percentile in baseball. The same goes with his percentage of hits that are barrelled (hit with an ideal launch angle and exit velocity) at just 4.3%, the 93rd percentile in the league.

The Padres bullpen in particular has an uphill battle after a regular season that has already seen them feature the second-most amount of innings and a postseason that will almost certainly require a similar work load.

The bullpen's collective 3.52 ERA ranks fifth in baseball, and if that number keeps up through October, expect Rodriguez's contributions to be a considerable reason why.

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