The Yankees are looking beyond one Padres reliever as the trade deadline approaches, with ESPN’s Buster Olney saying New York has interest in both Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon.
On Tuesday’s SportsCenter, Olney said the Yankees are focused on the bullpen even after losing several position players to injury.
“Of course, [the Yankees] have lost all these position players, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, but their focus is on the bullpen as we get close to the trade deadline,” Olney said Tuesday on SportsCenter. “And maybe that could be Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres, maybe Adrian Morejon.”
He also pointed to the way Brian Cashman has traditionally approached October.
“Brian Cashman’s history is that he believes with a shut-down bullpen, you could conceivably go deep into October,” Olney added.
With the Aug. 3 deadline closing in, the Padres’ direction remains unsettled. San Diego is 54-53, and it is still unclear whether the club will buy, sell or try to do a little of both before next Monday. AJ Preller, the team’s president of baseball operations, is expected to listen if the right deal comes along, no matter which path the Padres choose.
Miller would likely cost a hefty package. The Athletic reported that one executive “surmised that if (Preller) shops Miller, his initial ask would be at least two top-100 prospects.”
The Yankees do have four prospects ranked by MLB Pipeline: infielders George Lombard Jr. and Dax Kilby, along with pitchers Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange. That leaves them with enough prospect capital to stay in the mix for Miller if they choose to push hard.
But Morejon may be the more likely name to move. Dennis Lin of The Athletic identified him as the Padres pitcher most likely to be in a new uniform after the deadline. Unlike Miller, who comes with four years of team control, Morejon is making $3.9 million in 2026 and is set to become a free agent after this season.
That profile makes Morejon especially appealing to clubs without a deep farm system or a deep payroll, though the Yankees are clearly among the teams watching. If New York doesn’t land him, there should be no shortage of teams prepared to make a run.
Morejon has been excellent this season, going 8-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 50 relief appearances while striking out 67 batters in 56.1 innings. In 2025, he went 13-6 in 75 games out of the bullpen with a 2.08 ERA and earned his first National League All-Star selection.
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