Adrian Morejon is starting to look like one of the biggest bullpen names on the trade market, and the list of teams circling him keeps growing.
The Padres left-hander has been excellent in a heavy workload role, ranking third among relievers in innings pitched over the last three seasons while posting a 2.62 ERA and 2.93 SIERA. In a walk year, he’s taken another step forward, showing a career-best 33.8% whiff rate and a 61.5% groundball rate.
San Diego has climbed to three games over .500 and sits one back of a Wild Card spot, but the team appears to be at least entertaining offers on some pieces. Morejon looks like one of its best rental assets.
Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic recently connected the Cubs to Morejon. Francys Romero then added three more clubs to the mix: the Yankees, Rays, and Pirates.
New York’s interest fits. The Yankees moved Camilo Doval to the Pirates yesterday, and even with Doval’s uneven production this season, he was still a meaningful part of the bullpen, tied for fourth on the club in relief appearances.
With that arm gone, the Yankees could use another experienced late-inning option, and Morejon would clearly be an upgrade. Their bullpen owns the second-best ERA in the majors at 3.03, but the workload has largely fallen on David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Paul Blackburn, and Brent Headrick.
Aaron Boone could use another dependable arm as the games get bigger.
Tampa Bay’s situation is a little different after its own move. The Rays landed Freddy Peralta this afternoon, sending out three prospects in the deal, which could make it harder to chase another major addition.
Morejon won’t come cheap, either. The Padres are reportedly asking for multiple top-10 prospects from a suitor’s system.
The Rays still have room to add a reliever or two, but they may have already shifted toward a lower tier of targets. Bryan Baker, Kevin Kelly, and Garrett Cleavinger give them a solid late-game group, so Morejon would be more of a premium add than a necessity.
Pittsburgh remains in the hunt as well. The Pirates’ deal for Doval doesn’t close the door on Morejon, especially with bullpen help said to be a priority at the deadline and the club open to adding more than one reliever.
They’ve also been tied to Mason Miller and Luke Weaver, which suggests they’re shopping at the top end of the relief market. Morejon fits for the Pirates not just because of his quality, but because of the price tag.
He’s owed about $1.2MM for the rest of the season, a manageable number for a team with some payroll flexibility but limits on how far it can push. That salary is well below several other relievers on the market, including Weaver, Jeff Hoffman, and Antonio Senzatela.
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