Are the New York Mets going to commit big money to any pitching this offseason? That’s one of the questions David Stearns and Steve Cohen have to consider. Stearns and Cohen seem to be on the same page in regard to what they want to do with this roster, though it’s fair to mention that if Cohen wants to spend a lot of money on a starter, specifically Tarik Skubal, that isn’t something Stearns has wanted to do in the past. In regard to some relievers, there are multiple guys who could come in and be a great fit in Queens.
Among those guys, Adrian Morejon, the San Diego Padres free agent, might be more intriguing than anybody else. Morejon is coming off a very impressive season and struck out 107 hitters in 86.0 innings.
Recently predicting his contract, The Athletic suggested that he could land a five-year, $110 million deal, noting that the Mets could be a team of interest.
“The top relief pitcher on the market has been overshadowed in his own bullpen, but while pitching in front of star closer Mason Miller, Morejon has accumulated the third-most fWAR and seventh-most strikeouts among relievers the past three seasons. In 2026, he was tied with Guardians closer Cade Smith for the most shutdowns. He also threw the third-most relief innings — only one less than Brewers multi-inning lefty Aaron Ashby — and only Miller, Louis Varland and Jhoan Duran had a higher fWAR.
“Morejon has been most effective against left-handed hitters, but he’s handled right-handers as well, and he’s been regularly used for more than one inning at a time. Morejon has never been a fulltime closer, but few relievers have been better in recent seasons,” The Athletic wrote.
It’s not wrong to think the Mets could be interested in a player of Morejon’s caliber, given what he’s done on the mound.
However, New York would have to answer one question: is it willing to pay another reliever top dollar after doing so with Edwin Diaz and that deal not necessarily working out?
Paying relievers is often one of the more difficult things in baseball to consider, since they can be very hit-or-miss year after year. Morejon has been absolutely lights out over the past three seasons, but as the Mets have found out, just because guys do things in other cities doesn’t mean they can do so in New York.
