As MLB free agency approaches, San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon receives predictions landing him with either the New York Mets or the Detroit Tigers this offseason. Over the last few seasons, Morejon has become one of the best relievers in all of baseball. However, in free agency, he could become a starting pitcher for his next franchise.
Morejon owns a complete set of pitches, throwing a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider, and a changeup. His velocity also ranks in the 98th percentile per Baseball Savant. Recently, the Tampa Bay Rays converted Griffin Jax into a starter after years of success as a high-leverage reliever with the Minnesota Twins. The positive rate of relievers becoming starters has increased lately.
The Padres could keep Morejon in their organization, but they may have to make him a starter if another team makes such a promise. The Mets need rotation arms after a disappointing season this year. The Tigers witnessed several departures at the MLB Trade Deadline including Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize.
Adrian Morejon Could Leave San Diego Padres for the New York Mets or Detroit Tigers
The San Diego Padres signed Morejon initially as a amateur free agent in 2016. He is originally from Cuba. After two and half full years in the minor leagues, the Padres promoted him in 2019. His initial returns were not promising but he began in the rotation before transitioning to fulltime relief in 2024. There were signs of promise in the year prior as a reliever, but he did not make significant strides until a couple years ago.
There is some risk that Morejon does not transition properly into a starter if he takes that route. Yet, whoever signs him could opt to put him back into relief. There remains a large sample size now of success in his set-up role. That being said, Morejon could also become a top tier closer as well for a MLB team. Maybe he will stay there all along. Regardless, Morejon will enter into a highly valuable role as one of the most sought after free agents this offseason.
Adrian Morejon’s Dominance in Relief Cannot be Understated
In his last three seasons, Morejon has a 2.60 earned run average and 236 strikeouts across 215 innings of relief. In those appearances, 29 of them finished the game for the Padres. Despite being a setup man for Mason Miller, the best closer in all of baseball, Morejon could easily be the best arm in most other bullpens across the MLB.
However, a move towards a starting rotation role could pay dividends down the line for Morejon. The Mets and Tigers need arms. When you factor in his age, a contract that gives him upside could seem impressive down the line especially if he takes another step as a pitcher, bullpen or not.
San Diego Padres Adrian Morejon Could Leave for Mets or Tigers