Padres’ refusal to trade Adrian Morejón is looking like a deadline masterstroke

Adrian Morejón’s name was constantly being brought up in trade discussions ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. The Padres opted to keep him. Less than a month later, that decision looks smarter every time Craig Stammen reaches for the bullpen phone. A.J. Preller built his reputation on movement. He hunts stars, frequently shuffles depth and rarely lets the roster sit untouched for long. This time, his shrewdest deadline move may have been refusing to subtract.

The Padres were clear about how they valued Morejón. Preller labeled him one of the league’s best relievers. Stammen said he couldn’t picture the Padres bullpen without him.

Since July 21, Morejón has produced a 0.45 ERA, the lowest mark in the majors among pitchers with at least 20 innings during that stretch. His sinker averages 99.5 mph. Left-handed batters are hitting .179 against him this season, while right-handed hitters have managed only a .599 OPS.

Those are some nasty numbers. His workload against the Pirates told us even more.

Adrian Morejón has become the Padres’ most versatile October bullpen weapon

Morejón pitched the 10th and 11th innings of Monday’s tie game and stranded the automatic runner twice. Twenty pitches and 17 of them for strikes. The Padres sent him back out Tuesday, and he retired the side in the eighth on six pitches. Every one thrown was a strike.

The guy is an postseason fireman. Give him the baseball when the inning, matchup or original plan has turned ugly and he’ll clean it up.

Mason Miller will command the attention at the back of San Diego’s bullpen. That comes with possessing overpowering stuff and a 0.96 ERA. Morejón gives the entire operation its flexibility. Stammen can use him for a dangerous pocket of left-handed hitters, ask him to collect more than three outs or deploy him before the traditional setup inning.

The good thing about that flexibility is the postseason doesn’t present the cleanest opportunities. His skill set carries enormous value to a contender. October bullpens cannot survive on fixed job descriptions. Any trade return would have needed to matter more than that immediate advantage.

There is something fitting about Morejón becoming indispensable after more than a decade in the organization. Preller’s Padres are known for roster turnover. Players arrive in splashes and disappear quickly. This deadline victory came from recognizing the value of continuity.

Keeping Morejón delivered something more than deadline fuel. The Friars held on to a high-leverage left-hander who can dominate either side of the plate, work multiple innings and absorb the messiest outs of a playoff game.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow