The Padres spent Monday making sure one arm stayed in the organization while another got a major free-agent decision placed in front of him.
San Diego added a 23-year-old southpaw to the 40-man roster, a move that keeps him from entering the free agency pool and also protects him from becoming a possible Rule 5 draft casualty. The pitcher’s 2026 season was derailed by injuries, but the Padres still chose to keep him in the fold.
The bigger headline, though, came with Adrian Morejon. San Diego extended the left-hander 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 with the Padres. With a deal that could reach $100 million looming, his next move is very much up in the air.
Morejon made it clear after the NLDS that he wants to stay in San Diego. When asked if he wants 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 qualifying offer comes with a deadline of Nov. 17 for acceptance. Morejon is one of eight players to receive the one-year, $23.15 million offer.
San Diego was also linked to a possible splash on the position-player side, with the Padres recently listed 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 pointed to the confidence that comes with it, too.
"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.
And on the awards front, Mason Miller was named a National League Reliever of the Year finalist, which was hardly a shock after the season he put together. Miller led the NL with 38 saves and 57 games finished, and he posted a 1.67 ERA. He is viewed as the favorite to win the award over Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran and Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill.
In Other News...
Padres Lose Longtime Front Office Leader To A Rival At Worst Time
The Padres are dealing with another significant front-office shakeup, and this one stings because of both timing and destination. Caroline Perry, who had been the clubs chief operating officer since 2023 and had spent 16 seasons in the organization, is leaving for the Dodgers, where she has been hired as executive vice president and COO to replace retiring Bob Wolfe. Perry had risen through the Padres ranks from general counsel to COO, making her departure a notable loss of institutional knowledge as the organization tries to keep its business side steady.
San Diego moved quickly to fill the vacancy by promoting Chris Connolly to executive vice president, chief marketing and operations officer. The change keeps the Padres leadership structure intact on paper, but losing a longtime executive to a division rival is never a clean break, especially when the new job comes with a familiar opponent across the way. For a franchise trying to maintain momentum in every part of the operation, the optics of this one are hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Got A Complicated New Factor In Free Agency
The qualifying-offer market is taking shape, and it has already put a familiar Padres name into the mix. Adrin Morejn is among the eight players who received the $23.15 million one-year offer, a list that also includes Randy Arozarena, Jake Bauers, David Bednar, Ryan Jeffers, Brandon Lowe, Trevor Rogers and Seiya Suzuki. For San Diego, it is another reminder that one of its own is now part of a winter process that can reshape both rosters and draft capital.
Morejns situation is especially notable because the qualifying offer is designed to give teams compensation if a player signs elsewhere, which can complicate the market for anyone attached to it. The group is a reminder of how quickly free agency can get tricky, and of how clubs have to weigh talent, cost and the draft-pick price tag that comes with letting a player walk. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Suddenly Enter A Massive Rotation Debate For 2027
The Padres are already being linked to the kind of pitching conversation that can shape a roster for years, with free agent starters Freddy Peralta and Tarik Skubal emerging as names to watch for 2027 and beyond. Robert Murray of FanSided floated San Diego as a possible sleeper for Skubal, and while there is nothing official on the table yet, the idea fits a club that has shown it can think big when the right player becomes available.
New ownership and a new general manager have changed the tone around the organization, and the recent Xander Bogaerts contract only reinforces that the Padres are willing to make major commitments when they believe the fit is right. For now, this is still more about positioning than pursuit, but if San Diego is serious about keeping its rotation among the leagues best, it may not be able to sit out the market for long. [Read more 🡒]