The Mets have been mentioned as a possible fit for one of the biggest bullpen names on the market, but any real pursuit of Adrian Morejon would come with a familiar question hanging over it: how much are they willing to invest in relief pitching after the Edwin Diaz deal?
Morejon, the San Diego Padres free agent, is coming off a strong season in which he struck out 107 hitters in 86.0 innings. That kind of production has put him near the top of the market, and The Athletic recently projected him for a five-year, $110 million contract while also naming the Mets as a team that could have interest.
“The top relief pitcher on the market has been overshadowed in his own bullpen, but while pitching in front of star closer Mason Miller, Morejon has accumulated the third-most fWAR and seventh-most strikeouts among relievers the past three seasons. In 2026, he was tied with Guardians closer Cade Smith for the most shutdowns. He also threw the third-most relief innings - only one less than Brewers multi-inning lefty Aaron Ashby - and only Miller, Louis Varland and Jhoan Duran had a higher fWAR.
“Morejon has been most effective against left-handed hitters, but he’s handled right-handers as well, and he’s been regularly used for more than one inning at a time. Morejon has never been a fulltime closer, but few relievers have been better in recent seasons,” The Athletic wrote.
That profile makes it easy to see why New York would be in the mix. The Mets are weighing how aggressive to be with pitching this offseason, and David Stearns and Steve Cohen appear aligned on the broad direction of the roster. Still, the possibility of Cohen pushing for a major starter like Tarik Skubal is one thing; committing huge money to another reliever is a different conversation, especially for a team that already paid Diaz.
And that’s the issue. Relief pitching is one of the toughest places to spend big, because year-to-year volatility can make those contracts tricky. Morejon has been excellent over the last three seasons, but the Mets have already learned that what works in one city does not always translate the same way in New York.
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