Minnesota Twins Could Sign Touted Padres Reliever In Free Agency

The Minnesota Twins could make a huge splash as they look to address their bullpen depth, an issue that had a role in them finishing the season with a disappointing 77-85 record and missing the playoffs for the third-straight year.

The reliever market is expected to have a lot of intriguing options available, but one that the Twins should heavily consider is left-hander Adrian Morejón. The 27-year-old out of Cuba was a force in the San Diego Padres' bullpen, posting an impressive 2.83 ERA with 107 strikeouts and three saves through 86 innings pitched.

Morejón would not only provide Minnesota with an additional arm to turn to during games, but also insurance in the event veteran A.J. Minter were to take his talents elsewhere. Minter is also set to enter free agency this offseason.

Morejón was effective at keeping hitters guessing, recording a 38.6% chase rate and 34.2% whiff rate this year. His four-seam fastball topped out at 101.2 mph while the changeup was an even greater part of Morejón's success this year. Its slower speed of 92.1 mph froze opposing batters who only hit .156 against it.

However, the slider was where offenses have occasionally gotten to Morejón, hitting .244 and achieving an 88 mph exit velocity. Teams also batted .229 against his sinker, striking out just 18 times. Still, it was an effective pitch whenever he got the location right as he threw it 99.5 mph.

With owner Tom Pohlad promising to increase the Twins' payroll for next season, going all-out on Morejón makes sense now that the team has made it clear they wish to contend. While San Diego has their sights set on a title as well, they could end up letting Morejón go if the Twins make him an offer that the Padres' front office isn't willing to match.

The Padres fell short in the NL Division Series to the Milwaukee Brewers who went on to become this year's World Series champions. Morejón unfortunately surrendered three hits and a home run across two innings to hand the Padres a 3-2 loss in Game 1. 

Even then, that doesn't erase the dominance and consistency Morejón has shown over the years since making his big-league debut in 2019. He has also managed to stay relatively healthy after missing time with knee inflammation in 2023, only dealing with a minor shoulder issue this year that left him sidelined for the rest of the playoffs.