Morejon to pitch out of 'pen, with door open for rotation after 2025

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Externally, the speculation may have been loud this winter. But internally, the Padres say their Adrian Morejon decision really wasn't all that complicated.

Briefly, they discussed the possibility of Morejon joining their rotation mix. Very briefly.

Then, they sat down with the 25-year-old left-hander and discussed it. All parties involved decided it probably wasn't for the best -- at least not this year. And that was that. Morejon is back in the bullpen for 2025.

"The conversations were had," Morejon said through team interpreter Danny Sanchez. "But I feel good, I feel happy about my role. ... Just discussing what's best for me, my health, my career -- ultimately the decision was made to keep me in the bullpen. And I'm happy with that decision."

Morejon and the Padres aren't ruling out a potential return to a starting role in a future season. The upside of such a move remains tantalizing. But the decision this winter was straightforward.

After several injury-prone, up-and-down seasons in various roles -- starter, swingman, long reliever -- Morejon is coming off the most productive (and healthiest) season of his career. He posted a 2.83 ERA with a 2.79 FIP over 60 appearances. The Padres used him in high-leverage spots, and Morejon generally thrived.

"A lot of it is based on the fact that he's had so much success in the last year," pitching coach Ruben Niebla said. "His time in the bullpen has been a steady progress forward, and we're hoping to take the next steps in that role."

In some ways, the Padres need Morejon to take those steps. The bullpen projects as a clear area of strength on the current roster. But it also skews righty-heavy at the back end, with Robert Suarez, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada.

Enter Morejon, who projects as the highest-leverage left-hander. The Padres had interest in bringing back Tanner Scott and pursued the possibility. But Scott ultimately signed with the Dodgers, leaving Morejon as the top lefty reliever in San Diego.

Based on the progress he made in 2024, the Padres are comfortable deploying him in that capacity.

"He likes where he is, feels good about the role he's got and is ready to take the next steps," said manager Mike Shildt. "His stuff's just elite."

Most notably, Morejon's slider became a serious putaway weapon last season. He threw it more than ever, and to great success. Opponents hit just .169 against the pitch. He also relied heavily on his sinker (while still incorporating a four-seam fastball). As a result, he induced more weak contact than he ever had.

As Morejon¡¯s successes built, the Padres began to thrust him into bigger spots. Even after the Deadline acquisition of Scott, Morejon pitched important innings down the stretch.

¡°It just builds confidence,¡± Niebla said. ¡°He understands that not only is he capable of getting those outs, but that he is going to be in those situations and embrace those situations. I saw that confidence grow as the season went on.¡±

There is no shortage of excellent left-handed hitters in the NL West. (Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Corbin Carroll, to name a few.) Morejon¡¯s left-right splits aren¡¯t so pronounced as to label him a lefty specialist. But clearly, he¡¯ll play a critical role in San Diego's bullpen this season.

The Padres are more bullish than most on their other left-handed options. If they can get a healthy Wandy Peralta, they like what he has to offer. They think Yuki Matsui might make a leap in his second big league season.

But they wanted Morejon at the forefront of that mix -- even if there was some appeal to stretching him out.

¡°We talk internally, like we always do about our players, and figure out what the possible roles are,¡± Shildt said. ¡°A discussion was: 'Maybe this guy could start.' But we didn't really get too far down the road. ¡­ His headspace is in a really good place with where he's at currently -- being able to grab higher leverage from the left side for us. We felt pretty convicted that'd be a good spot for him.¡±

It¡¯s largely the same spot as last season -- albeit with significantly more proof of concept. Morejon has now done it.

¡°At this point last season, I hadn¡¯t really pitched in those moments, hadn¡¯t thrown in key innings like that,¡± Morejon said. ¡°So for me to be able to do that and have success, it gives me a lot of confidence going into Spring Training and this season, for sure.¡±