Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t wait long to make his pitch after the Padres locked up their 2026 postseason berth.
In the middle of the clubhouse celebration Thursday night, after San Diego’s 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tatis turned a victory lap into a contract campaign. President of Baseball Operations A.J.
Preller was moving through interviews with a smile as the Padres celebrated a third straight postseason appearance in Hollywood. Then Tatis stepped in, with Adrian Morejon standing right beside him, and made the message plain.
" He can't leave me," Tatis Jr. said to Preller while holding a cigar and a beer.
Morejon is headed for free agency this offseason, and he has become one of the most valuable arms in the Padres’ bullpen over the past few years. His importance is hard to miss: San Diego now has the best bullpen in the majors, and Morejon has been a big part of that rise.
Tatis’ public push only sharpened the focus on what comes next. The Padres clearly value what Morejon brings, but the superstar’s clubhouse moment made the case in front of everyone: keep him.
And it’s not going to come cheap. Morejon is a hard-throwing left-hander still in his prime, so his next deal figures to land well above the price of an ordinary reliever. Robert Suarez’s deal last year is the obvious benchmark - $45 million over three years - and he is seven years older than Morejon.
That kind of price tag would require Preller to spend, but that’s nothing new for a Padres team under new ownership. Preller has already shown he’s willing to pay for a roster built to contend. Morejon’s track record makes the investment easy to justify, especially with his place in the bullpen’s identity.
The numbers back up the argument. Morejon has won 22 games over the last two years and ranks in the 98th or 99th percentile in five major pitching metrics. He has been one of the Padres’ most productive players in recent seasons, and the comparison to Mason Miller only underscores how dominant and steady he has been.
Tatis made the plea in the middle of a celebration, but it landed like a message for the front office: some players are worth keeping no matter the cost.
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