Padres bullpen predictions as Tanner Scott set to leave

If there is one aspect of baseball the San Diego Padres have routinely excelled at, it is the bullpen. Yes, the start of last year had its questions surrounding middle relievers and who would bridge the gap between the starter and closer, but just a few mid-season moves moved the Padres back to a familiar spot with one of the strongest bullpens in the league.

Heading into the 2025 season, the Padres are still poised to have a very strong bullpen. Names like Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada, and Jason Adam are all returning as proven big league relievers who can deliver when needed. The success will not come without its sacrifices however, as one of last season's additions and one of the league's best back-end arms, Tanner Scott, is set to leave San Diego for a big payday.

Padres bullpen expected to remain relatively unchanged

Any predictions on the state of the Padres bullpen in 2025 can be made with the assumption that Tanner Scott will not be a San Diego Padre. The 30-year-old trade acquisition from the Marlins pitched in 28 games for the Padres after coming over mid-season. Scott has reportedly already met with the New York Mets, who are looking to continue their free agency spending after inking Juan Soto.

In news that will be more worrisome to Padres fans, Scott has also entertained the idea of moving to NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Projected to get a multi-year deal, the Dodgers have much more spending power than the Padres, with The Athletic's Tim Britton expecting a 4-year, $64 million deal. If that is the case, the Padres would have to deal with a backend Dodgers bullpen of Michael Kopech, Blake Treinan, and Scott.

Moving past the Tanner Scott conundrum, the Padres still have one of the strongest bullpen's in the league. Signing a $4.8 million deal to avoid a possible arbitration hearing, the other 2024 mid-season addition, Jason Adam, is poised to be one of the better arms in the pen going forward. Adam had a superb second half with the Padres, giving up just three earned runs in 27 games leading to a ridiculous 1.01 ERA.

Both Robert Suarez and Jeremiah Estrada should retain their spots at the back end of the bullpen, while Adrian Morejon, who also signed a deal to avoid arbitration, could see himself in a middle to late innings role. Both Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui, who have struggled in their time in San Diego, may be fighting for innings.

The Padres do have some interesting names in the pen for 2025 that could make more of an impact. Alek Jacob, a Padres 2021 draft pick from Gonzaga, will be looking to make more of an impact after an impressive late stint in 2024. The sidewinding second year pitcher struck out a 19 batters in first 14.2 innings of MLB experience. Former Padre Luis Patino has also returned in a minor league deal after four seasons away from San Diego. The 25-year-old spent time with the White Sox and Rays before that, but has struggled with command and a high ERA.