Adrian Morejon has spent his entire big league career in San Diego, and he’s not hiding how he feels about that possibly changing before Monday’s trade deadline.
The Padres left-hander said he’d rather stay put, making it clear that a move elsewhere is not what he wants as his name circulates in deadline chatter.
“I’m trying to not put too much pressure on me right now,” Morejón said, via Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I know what’s going on for the trade deadline. I try not to think too much about that because it’s a little bit hard for me because I [have played] for 10 years with the Padres, so I don’t like if [a trade] happens.
“I prefer to stay here. I know it’s not my decision, but that’s why I try to pitch good, trying to help the team win.”
At 27, Morejon is in his eighth MLB season and has never pitched for another organization. Among current Padres, only Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado have been around longer. Francisco Mejía caught Morejon’s first start in the summer of 2019, and current manager Craig Stammen was in the bullpen.
That kind of continuity is rare in a game built on movement, which makes Morejon’s situation stand out even more as the deadline approaches.
From the Padres’ side, he also fits the profile of a pitcher who could draw interest. He is making $3.9 million this season and is a free agent after the year, which puts him in the group of arms president of baseball operations AJ Preller could consider moving if San Diego decides to deal from its bullpen depth to help elsewhere.
Morejon has given teams plenty to like. He is on pace for career bests in strikeouts and Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs, and he has put together an 8-2 record with a 3.14 ERA in 50 relief appearances. Through 57.1 innings, he owns a 1.116 WHIP.
Left-handed relievers with that kind of production don’t exactly grow on trees, and teams looking for bullpen help are already circling. The New York Yankees are among the clubs linked to him.
Morejon has never been a closer, and he started his major league career as a starter, but he could also be in line for a bigger role if Preller chooses to trade other relievers instead. Even so, it’s pretty clear where Morejon stands.
He’d rather keep wearing a Padres uniform.
In Other News...
Padres Face A Defining Angels Trade Choice For Their Rotation
The Padres search for rotation help has led them across the freeway to a pair of Angels arms, with Jos Soriano and Reid Detmers both drawing attention as possible trade targets. The appeal is obvious from San Diegos side: each pitcher is under team control for multiple seasons, each would come with a meaningful acquisition cost, and each would be asked to help stabilize a staff that could use another dependable starter.
Detmers, though, brings a different profile to the conversation. The left-hander has shown a much cleaner strikeout-to-walk shape than Soriano, and his ability to miss bats while limiting free passes makes him a natural fit for a Padres rotation that values efficiency and flexibility. His home-run issues would still be part of the evaluation, but Petco Park offers some cover there, which is why this trade debate has become more than just a simple search for innings. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Bullpen Anxiety Just Spiked With This Deadline Rumor
The trade deadline chatter around the Pirates has turned toward their bullpen, and that is the kind of development Padres fans know can quickly become their problem too. Pittsburgh has a strong starting rotation, but ESPNs Jeff Passan reported the club is looking for relief help, with San Diego lefty Adrian Morejon emerging as a name to watch as the market starts to take shape.
Morejon has been one of the more intriguing arms in San Diegos relief mix, posting a 3.14 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 57.1 innings while working as an impending free agent. For the Padres, that makes him both a useful late-inning weapon and a possible deadline chip, which is exactly the sort of balancing act that can get complicated fast once contenders start calling. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Machado Had A Response Ready For Months Of Padres Criticism
Manny Machado has spent the better part of the season hearing the noise around his slow start and the Padres uneven offense, and he made it clear he has not forgotten it. The criticism came early, when his own numbers and the teams bats were under the microscope, but San Diegos offense has been far more productive since mid-June, giving Machado and company a much different backdrop than the one they faced in April and May.
Machado has helped drive that shift with timely hits in recent games, including a big night against the Marlins when he delivered an RBI double and later tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth before Jackson Merrill put San Diego ahead. Even with the trade deadline chatter hovering around the club, Machado said the focus inside the room is on winning, not on wondering what A.J. Preller might do next. [Read more 🡒]