Adrian Morejon could be the best relief pitcher traded ahead of the deadline, especially if the Padres decide to hold on to his teammate Mason Miller. Morejon ranks third among relievers in innings pitched over the last three seasons, with a 2.62 ERA and 2.93 SIERA. In his free agent walk year, he has arguably looked better than ever, with a career-best 33.8% whiff rate and 61.5% groundball rate. The Padres have risen to three games above .500 and only one back of a Wild Card berth, but it seems as if they are at least listening to offers on certain players. Morejon is arguably their best rental chip.
The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma recently linked the Cubs to Morejon. Today, Francys Romero added three new teams to Morejon’s list of suitors: the Yankees, Rays, and Pirates.
It’s no surprise the Yankees are in on Morejon. They traded Camilo Doval to the Pirates yesterday. Despite his mediocre numbers this year, Doval was still an important member of New York’s bullpen, tied for fourth on the team in relief appearances. The Yankees could use a veteran arm to replace Doval, and Morejon would definitely be an upgrade. New York ranks second in the majors with a 3.03 bullpen ERA, but four pitchers – David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Paul Blackburn, and Brent Headrick – have done most of the work. Manager Aaron Boone could use another reliable arm to call on down the stretch and in the playoffs.
The Rays pulled off a major trade for Freddy Peralta this afternoon, which could limit their ability to make any other blockbusters. They gave up three prospects for Peralta, and the Padres’ asking price for Morejon isn’t low. They are reportedly seeking multiple top-10 prospects from any suitor’s system. The Rays could still use another reliever or two, but there’s a good chance they’ve shifted their focus to a lower tier of trade candidates. They already boast a strong back-end trio in Bryan Baker, Kevin Kelly, and Garrett Cleavinger. That’s not to say they couldn’t use Morejon, but he might be a luxury they aren’t willing to pay for.
The Pirates’ trade for Doval doesn’t rule them out of the Morejon sweepstakes. Improving the arm barn is reportedly their focus at the deadline, and they’re open to adding more than one reliever. They’ve been linked to names like Miller and Luke Weaver in recent days, so it’s fair to presume they’re aiming higher than Doval as their biggest bullpen upgrade. Morejon also makes sense for Pittsburgh given how low his salary is for such a talented reliever. He is owed about $1.2MM for the remainder of the season. The Pirates have some payroll flexibility to work with, but financial considerations will reportedly limit their deadline moves. Morejon’s remaining salary is considerably cheaper than that of many other top relievers on the trade block, including Weaver, Jeff Hoffman, and Antonio Senzatela.
