The San Diego Padres have some work to do this offseason, with the future of Michael King being the most glaring issue to resolve at some point this winter.
But besides King, the Padres also have a massive question to answer regarding one of their key relievers. Adrian Morejon is set to be a free agent, and he could be looking at a huge deal following a 2.83 ERA season for the Padres.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter is predicting that Morejon, hitting free agency for the first time, will sign a $90 million contract this offseason. It’s a huge prediction for Morejon, but there’s good reason why a reliever might make so much money this winter.
Adrian Morejon predicted to sign $90M contract in free agency
“Predicted contract: 5 years, $90 million,” Reuter predicts. “The Dodgers gave Tanner Scott a four-year, $72 million deal for a dominant late-inning lefty with swing-and-miss stuff. He was two years older when he hit the open market. A matching AAV and a fifth year seem reasonable for Morejon.”
Reuter is predicting Morejon will sign a $90 million contract this offseason over the next five years. That’s a massive deal for a reliever, especially one who hasn’t been the team’s closer in recent years.
In 2025, it was Robert Suarez. This year, it was Mason Miller. The Padres have benefitted from Morejon as a No. 2 reliever in the bullpen, never as the top option.
But if a team is spending $90 million on Morejon, it’s either with the hope he’ll be their new dominant closer, or that he’ll turn into a starting pitcher for his new club.
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This past season, in 76 appearances, Morejon had a 2.83 ERA with an impressive 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s probably the best reliever, and one of the best pitchers overall, to hit the open market this offseason.
At just 27 years old, Morejon is sure to have plenty of teams interested in a long-term deal for Morejon, which could get his new contract close to nine figures, even if that’s a long shot.
But a $90 million, five-year contract like Reuter is predicting would be quite the haul for Morejon. This might be on the higher end of outcomes for Morejon, but considering his upside, such a massive deal might actually be possible this winter.
