The Padres spent Monday making sure one arm stayed in the organization while another could be on the market in a bigger way.
San Diego added a 23-year-old left-hander to the 40-man roster to keep him from entering the free agency pool and avoid making him a potential Rule 5 casualty, even after an injury-riddled 2026 campaign. The move locked him in for now and kept the Padres from losing him for nothing.
The more notable left-handed pitching news came with Adrian Morejon. San Diego gave the 27-year-old a qualifying offer, a one-year deal worth $23.15 million.
Morejon has established himself as one of the most elite bullpen arms over the last three seasons, but that offer may not be enough to keep him in San Diego. A longer-term payday could be waiting elsewhere, with a potential deal that could reach $100 million.
Morejon made his feelings clear after the NLDS when he was asked whether he wanted to return. He said that “everybody knows that" he does.
“I feel sad because I don’t want to say goodbye,” Morejon said at the time. “But it’s business, and let’s see what happens during the offseason.”
The Padres also surfaced recently as a best fit for Yankees All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. The 28-year-old brings plenty of talent, and The Athletic’s Jim Bowden also pointed to the confidence that comes with it.
"Chisholm wasn’t shy in spring training about declaring his goal of hitting 50 homers with 50 steals, numbers he hoped would earn a free-agent contract worth $350 million. Well, he hit 19 homers with 41 steals while hitting just .231, and his dream of a huge long-term contract has gone by the wayside, at least for this offseason. He’ll probably either have to sign a short-term, prove-it deal or a long-term contract with a non-contending team with opt-out clauses," Bowden wrote.
There was also some expected hardware news for Mason Miller, who was named a National League Reliever of the Year finalist. Miller led the NL with 38 saves and 57 games finished, and he did it with a 1.67 ERA.
He is widely viewed as the favorite over Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran and Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill.
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Several names have already been part of that process, including Demetrio Crisantes, Yassel Soler, Nathan Hall, and pitchers Patrick Forbes, Foley and Joe Ariola. For Arizona, the bigger value is not in the standings but in seeing whether those targeted fixes are sticking, because the club is watching closely for the kind of progress that can turn a prospects fall into a real step forward. [Read more 🡒]