The Padres have already turned down one Yankees pitch that would have swapped away a key bullpen arm.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, San Diego rejected a framework that would have sent Yankees right-hander Will Warren to the Padres and left-hander Adrian Morejon to New York. Nightengale described it as a 1-for-1 deal, though other pieces may have been part of the conversation.
That doesn’t necessarily close the door. Front offices toss around different versions of trades all the time, and sometimes the sides circle back once the details get clearer.
With the deadline set for 3 p.m. PT Monday, there’s still time for the Padres and Yankees to revisit the idea.
After that, teams can no longer trade 40-man roster players. Morejon could also simply stay put, which would keep him in San Diego for his entire career.
For the Padres, the attraction is obvious: they need pitching help, and they need it now. Their rotation has not gotten much from the back end, and they may not be able to sit around waiting for Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta and Lucas Giolito to come off the injured list. Adding a starter has become close to a necessity.
Warren, 27, would fit that need. He’s 8-5 with a 4.14 ERA and 101 ERA+ in 22 appearances, 21 of them starts, this season. In his first full big league season last year, he went 9-8 with a 4.44 ERA and led the American League with 33 starts.
His postseason work in the Yankees’ 2025 run wasn’t pretty. Warren threw 4.2 innings out of the bullpen against the Blue Jays in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series, gave up six runs, and didn’t pitch again in the playoffs.
From the Padres’ perspective, Warren is also more appealing than some of the other names that have come up, including the Reds’ Brady Singer and possibly the Mets’ Kodai Senga.
But Morejon is no throw-in. The Yankees have been tied to him and closer Mason Miller in trade chatter, and while Morejon doesn’t bring Miller’s radar-gun flash or strikeout numbers, he offers plenty of value. He’s a former starter who can work multiple innings, and over the last three seasons he’s logged 196 innings with a 2.62 ERA.
The contract situation makes the comparison even sharper. Morejon is headed for free agency after the season, while Warren comes with four more years of team control. If San Diego landed him, the Padres would be adding a starter through 2030 for Morejon or another package built around relievers.
New York’s bullpen situation adds another layer. The Yankees dealt three relievers - Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and Yovanny Cruz - over the last 48 hours, so they have work to do before Monday’s deadline. Morejon appears to be near the top of their replacement list.
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With the playoff chase tightening and injuries forcing the rotation to lean on the relief corps, the Padres are making it clear they are not looking to weaken the bullpen for help elsewhere. Adrian Morejon has become an important part of that group, and San Diegos decision to hold onto him says plenty about how it views its late-season formula.
The Yankees reportedly had interest in prying Morejon away in a deal for Will Warren, a controllable starter, but the Padres passed. For a club trying to stay in position for October, that kind of move would have tested whether immediate bullpen stability matters more than longer-term rotation depth, and San Diego has chosen the former for now. [Read more 🡒]