The Padres head into the offseason with a bullpen arm who has made his case as clearly as anyone in the clubhouse: Adrian Morejon wants to stay in San Diego, even if the business side makes that far from simple.
Morejon just finished a career year, posting a 2.83 ERA across 76 appearances and 86 innings. The Padres leaned on their bullpen as heavily as almost any team in baseball during the regular season, and Morejon was one of the biggest reasons that group held up. He handled setup work and kept delivering in high-leverage spots, which is exactly why his market could reach a deal north of $100 million.
That kind of number changes the conversation fast for a team that already carries a high payroll. Morejon knows that, and he did not pretend otherwise when talking about his future.
“I feel sad because I don’t want to say goodbye,” Morejon said. “But it’s business, and let’s see what happens during the offseason.”
The Padres also have another major contract call waiting on the pitching side. The club has to decide what to do with a starter whose impact when healthy has been strong enough to make him one of the winter’s most important roster questions.
The catch, as the source material makes clear, is availability. That creates another difficult pressure point for the front office.
And the picture beyond those two decisions could get even messier. Padres On SI identified six players who are most likely to be gone before Opening Day 2027, with player options, team options and mutual options all part of the equation. After a 91-win season and the hottest second half in MLB, San Diego could enter 2027 looking very different.
The rotation is a big reason why. Starting pitching was one of the Padres’ weakest areas in 2026, and the bullpen spent much of the year covering for it.
That kind of patch job can work for a while, but the rotation is the area that appears most likely to demand attention this winter. And with several pitchers coming off uneven years, some may have already pitched their way out of Petco Park.
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