The San Diego Padres have a busy winter ahead.
San Diego has a total of 13 free agents , with nine players initially entering the open market followed by five additional departures . The Padres are navigating a shifting competitive window, massive financial commitments and a complete overhaul of their pitching staff.
A lot will be different for the Padres coming into the 2027 season, but they'll hope to limit the changes. The Padres have some pieces they'd love to keep , including longtime reliever Adrian Morejon.
Morejon is a hot commodity this winter, viewed as one of the top pitchers on the open market. The 27-year-old has constantly improved since making his debut in 2019.
The southpaw is coming off arguably the best season of his career, and it will be tough for the Padres to retain Morejon .
The Padres will face serious competition for the Cuban native, and ESPN's David Schoenfield linked Morejon to two National League clubs: The Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.
He labeled the Phillies as the "best fit" for Morejon.
"The Phillies are set at closer with Jhoan Duran, but the rest of the bullpen is a mess, finishing 21st in ERA. Jose Alvarado has been their longtime top southpaw, but he's a free agent and coming off a bad season (5.86 ERA). Phillies lefty relievers allowed an .805 OPS, second worst in the majors. Give Duran some help," Schoenfield wrote .
The Cubs were viewed as "another possible fit."
"Morejon is a fit for almost every team, so let's throw the Cubs out here again as they try to figure out how they can chase down their division rivals," he wrote. "They saw 14 different relievers record saves in 2026, and their lefty relievers ranked 21st in OPS allowed and 25th in strikeout rate. Morejon would give them a workhorse setup guy or a potential closer."
Morejon's 2026 season was impressive, to say the least. In 86 innings pitched, Morejon recorded 107 strikeouts along with a 2.83 ERA and a 9-3 record over 76 appearances.
The 27-year-old is the league's premier strikeout-per-nine, non-closing left-hander. Morejon could be one of the highest-paid pitchers in that category, with a contract projected to be worth upwards of $100 million.
Although the Padres will face stiff competition for Morejon, they will likely do whatever they can to retain him. Whether or not they're successful, however, will likely be determined by how much other teams value him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/padres/onsi as Padres' Adrian Morejon Linked to 2 National League Rivals as Best Fits .
