Yankees Targeting Another Padres Reliever Ahead of Trade Deadline

The San Diego bullpen is flush with options for contending teams.

Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon (50) reacts during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the New York Yankees have their eye on more than one San Diego Padres reliever.

With the Aug. 3 trade deadline bearing down, the Yankees are willing to pivot off right-hander Mason Miller to left-hander Adrian Morejon, according to Olney, as the American League East contenders look to shore up their bullpen.

“Of course, [the Yankees] have lost all these position players, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, but their focus is on the bullpen as we get close to the trade deadline,” Olney said Tuesday on SportsCenter. “And maybe that could be Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres, maybe Adrian Morejon.”

“Brian Cashman’s history is that he believes with a shut-down bullpen, you could conceivably go deep into October,” Olney added.

The Padres are 54-53. It's unclear whether they will buy, sell or do a little of both between now and next Monday's deadline. President of baseball operations AJ Preller is unlikely to turn down a good offer regardless of which bucket that places him in — and the Padres have compelling arguments to be buyers or sellers.

What would a "good offer" look like?

In the case of Miller, The Athletic reported that one executive "surmised that if (Preller) shops Miller, his initial ask would be at least two top-100 prospects."

The Yankees have four, according to MLB Pipeline: infielders George Lombard Jr. and Dax Kilby, and pitchers Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange. That suggests they would not be precluded from acquiring Miller.

Still, Dennis Lin of The Athletic named Morejon as the Padres player who will be wearing a new uniform after the deadline. While Miller comes with four years of team control, Morejon is making $3.9 million in 2026 and is a free agent at the end of this season.

If anything, that makes Morejon a target for teams that don't have as deep a farm system or as deep a payroll. If it's not the Yankees, the left-hander could be the target of plenty of offers.

Morejon is 8-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 50 appearances out of the bullpen. He's struck out 67 batters in 56.1 innings. In 2025, Morejon went 13-6 in 75 games out of the bullpen with a 2.08 ERA and made his first National League All-Star team.

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