The Philadelphia Phillies should already be targeting this strikeout artist heading into MLB free agency.
The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen was a major problem again on Thursday night, as it surrendered four runs in the eighth and ninth inning of a 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Phillies failed to clinch a playoff spot yet again as a result, and suddenly, there is a ton of pressure on Philadelphia heading into its final series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It's clear that this is a flawed team, and for as well as the starting rotation has performed, the subpar offense and imploding bullpen are absolutely saboteurs.
There is no question the Phillies will have to make some moves this offseason to bolster both areas, and one player they should already be targeting is San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon.
Morejon has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the last three years and has logged a 2.80 ERA and 1.076 WHIP in 2026. He has also racked up 103 strikeouts over 83.2 innings of work as Mason Miller's setup man.
The Padres' bullpen is part of the reason why they will be a dangerous team in October, but they are probably going to lose Morejon this winter.
Philadelphia should absolutely do whatever it can to pry the left-hander away from them.
Morejon is projected to land a contract in the neighborhood of four years and $60 million in free agency, and while that may sound moderately steep for a reliever who isn't a closer, let's keep in mind that the Phillies gave Brad Keller two years and $22 million only to watch him struggle before going down with Tommy John surgery.
Paying four more million dollars annually for Morejon shouldn't be that big of a deal.
No one doubts Jhoan Duran's ability as Philadelphia's closer, but the ballclub's bridge to him is virtually non-existent.
Yes, Alex McFarlane does appear to be establishing himself as a critical piece moving forward, but otherwise, the Phillies don't have a single other reliable arm in their pen.
Enter Morejon, who is still just 27 years old and has posted sub-3.00 ERAs in each of the last three seasons. That included an All-Star appearance in 2025.
I understand the hesitation to pay big money for relief pitchers over long-term deals, but Morejon isn't your ordinary reliever, and Philadelphia is past the point where it can try to find bargain-bin fixes.
The Phillies absolutely must pursue Morejon, and if it takes $15 million per year, so be it.
