Adrian Morejon steps in for save against Nationals

There might have been others involved. Morejon is one of baseball’s best relievers, but he’s also a free agent at season’s end. Meanwhile, Warren is at least a league-average starting pitcher who is making the minimum both this year and next and won’t be a free agent until after 2030. That’s certainly not a bad offer, assuming that Nightengale has the correct info here.

Miller, who picked up an impressive four-out save against the Orioles on Sunday, will be away from the club on bereavement leave for the next few days. He’s converted 19 saves with a microscopic 0.90 ERA and 59/12 K/BB ratio across 30 innings this season. His absence will result in either Jason Adam or Adrian Morejon handling any save chances for the Padres. The other dark horse name to watch is hard-throwing rookie Bradgley Rodriguez, who has been an unexpected revelation this season. Fantasy managers should anticipate Miller returning later this week.

Mason Miller had pitched in three of the last four games. He got an extra day of rest with the off day on Monday, as Morejon was summoned to close out the game with a one-run lead in the ninth. He struck out two in a clean frame to shut the door on the Rockies for his first save of the season. Expect Miller back in the ninth for the next save chance.

Morejon never had an outing quite this bad during his spectacular 2025, but he did allow four runs twice in May and had one in August in which he gave up three runs without retiring a batter. So, it can happen, even in a season in which the league hit .186 off him. Morejon’s velocity is as good as ever; he’s averaged 98.9 mph with his sinker this year, compared to 97.7 mph last year. This gives him a 10.80 ERA, but he’s still projects as one of the game’s best non-closing relievers.

After several false starts to his career, Morejón has been terrific as a reliever the last two years, finishing with a 2.83 ERA in 63 2/3 innings in 2024 and a 2.08 ERA in 73 2/3 innings last season. Although he’s just 26 — 27 in February — he’s only one year away from free agency, having spent considerable time on the injured list earlier in the decade. That’s resulted in him coming up in trade discussions this winter.

Rosenthal, Lin and Sammon add the Padres have expressed interest in the Mets’ trio of elite pitching prospects — Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat — while noting that franchise cornerstones Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis Jr. have not surfaced in trade discussions. Any deal involving those prospects would qualify as a blockbuster, though McLean’s inclusion would be especially surprising given that he’s been viewed as virtually untouchable since making his major-league debut late last season. New York remains in the market for an established front-line starter and an additional high-leverage reliever to pair with newly acquired stopper Devin Williams following Edwin Díaz’s departure to Los Angeles. While The Athletic notes that nothing appears imminent, this is a situation worth monitoring closely from a fantasy standpoint.

The same goes for David Morgan. Of moving the relievers to the rotation, Stammen said: “It’s a risky proposition health-wise and performance-wise.” We’d say it still might be worth it in Miller’s case, especially given the Padres’ lack of rotation depth, but if they’re not going to do it, then Miller, who allowed just two runs and struck out 45 in 23 1/3 innings after being traded to San Diego at the deadline, has an argument for fantasy baseball’s No. 1 RP heading into the 2026.

Miller appears more likely that Morejon to get another try as a starter, but we’ll find out for sure later. The Padres are definitely going to be hurting in the rotation with Dylan Cease and Michael King set to become free agents, though they do have Joe Musgrove on the way back from Tommy John. The closer’s role is also likely to open up, unless the Padres can come to another agreement with Robert Suarez before he opts out of the two years and $16 million he has left on his contract.

One of the best left-handed relievers in baseball, Morejon took over for Padres starter Dylan Cease in the fourth inning and wound up retiring all seven batters he faced before handing the ball to dominant closer Mason Miller.

The 26-year-old hurler came on with two outs in the eighth inning and the Padres leading 3-1. He struck out Michael Conforto to end the inning, then the Padres tacked on another pair of runs in the home half of the frame. Morejon returned for the ninth and set down the Dodgers in order to close it out for the Padres. He has been a major weapon out of the bullpen this season, compiling a 1.81 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and a 60/12 K/BB ratio over 59 2/3 innings while securing three saves and nine victories.