SF Giants have chance to poach a closer from the Padres in the offseason (if they're willing to pay)

After the SF Giants failed to adequately address the bullpen last offseason, as their reward they will get to try again this upcoming offseason. There’s a good chance that San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon could be one of the premier arms available on the market which could give the Giants a great chance to poach him from a rival.

As Pat Ragazzo recently reported for FanSided, a rival executive of the Padres believes that Morejon will draw a contract similar to what Robert Suarez got from the Atlanta Braves in free agency’s that would amount to roughly a four-year, $60 million deal which would put Morejon among the higher-paid relievers in MLB.

The left-handed Cuban has a 2.86 ERA on the season in 68 appearances. That’s a year after he had a 2.08 ERA in 75 appearances and a 2.83 ERA in 60 appearances in 2024.

He’s proven he is an elite reliever, striking out 96 batters in 78 and 2/3 innings this year, but the one problem is that he doesn’t have a great record when it comes to converting save opportunities. He’s converted just eight of 19 in his career and only three of eight this season.

He could be a classic case of a reliever who is good in every inning except the ninth. Tyler Rogers was that way in San Francisco and pretty much all of San Francisco’s bullpen has been that way this season as general manager Zack Minasian so helpfully pointed out.

Giants may not be willing to pay Morejon's hefty price tag

Morejon would be a good addition, but it seems fairly unlikely the Giants would be willing to pay that top-dollar price for an arm like him. The memory of Mark Melancon looms large and while Buster Posey’s Edwin Díaz remarks were rightfully mocked earlier this season, rolling the dice on an expensive reliever has a way of blowing up in a team’s face.

The more likely scenario is that the Giants will try to build the bullpen mainly out of waiver wire finds. Maybe they sign a few free agents but don’t expect anything too wild. The team clearly doesn’t like spending money on the pitching staff and while the failure of this year’s bullpen might force them to spend more, going after a big arm like Morejon may be a bridge too far.

Still, the idea of stealing him away from the Padres is a fun one. Maybe if his market doesn’t materialize the way that executive predicted then the Giants could be in play for him but if the price is that high it may be tougher for the Giants to justify it to themselves if they continue to be cautious when it comes to bullpen construction.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow