Fernando Tatís Jr. made sure A.J. Preller knows where he stands on one of the San Diego Padres' biggest upcoming free-agent decisions.
Fernando Tatís Jr. apparently has one request for the San Diego Padres this offseason: Bring Adrián Morejón back.
And Tatís made sure Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller got the message personally.
Tatís interrupted Marty Caswell's interview with Preller on Friday and delivered a simple message about the left-handed reliever.
"Sign Morejón!" Tatís said.
The brief interruption drew laughs, but there is a significant roster decision behind it.
Morejón is set to become a free agent after the season, potentially putting one of the key pieces of San Diego's dominant bullpen on the open market.
The 27-year-old left-hander has followed up his breakout 2025 season with another impressive year. Morejón is 9-3 with a 2.80 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings. He has once again served as one of the Padres' most trusted late-inning options, helping bridge the gap to closer Mason Miller.
His importance hasn't gone unnoticed inside the clubhouse.
Morejón has been particularly valuable during San Diego's late-season surge. He and Yuki Matsui were among the relievers who helped fuel the Padres' September charge toward the postseason.
The Padres brought Morejón back for 2026 on a one-year, $3.9 million contract after avoiding arbitration, according to MLB.com.
Now Preller faces a much bigger decision.
Morejón has spent his entire professional career in the Padres organization after signing with San Diego as an international free agent in 2016. He eventually found his niche in the bullpen after beginning his major-league career as a starter.
Preller has never been shy about aggressive roster moves, which has helped reshape the Padres into a postseason contender.
Keeping Morejón could become another significant item on Preller's offseason agenda.
At least one Padres superstar has already made his vote clear.
And Tatís didn't bother waiting until the offseason to cast it.
