Yankees Trade Idea Lands Padres Reliever Not Named Mason Miller for Two Prospects

The New York Yankees are in dire need of some bullpen help, and a high-leverage arm being added to this summer by the August 3 trade deadline is a must if they want to contend.

Of course, it’s easier said than done to add a high-leverage reliever this summer, especially considering it’s going to be a seller’s market. And as much fun as it would be to pursue Mason Miller, he’s not a realistic trade target.

However, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic linked the Yankees to a different Padres reliever, Adrian Morejon, in a trade idea that former MLB general manager Jim Bowden actually believes could happen.

“Yankees get: Adrian Morejon. Padres get SP Elmer Rodriguez, SP Bryce Cunningham,” Kirschner proposed. This idea was met with an encouraging analysis from Bowden: “Both teams say yes.”

While the cost of adding Morejon wouldn’t be cheap, as Rodriguez and Cunningham are two valuable prospects who have promising futures, the Yankees, in a wide-open American League, don’t really have a roster spot for either young pitcher this season.

If they want to win the World Series in 2026, which is a very real possibility if they can get some help, then trading players like Rodriguez and Cunningham would make sense.

Morejon is a left-hander who has a 3.20 ERA this season with an 8-2 record. He’s hitting free agency after this year, but the former All-Star is the kind of upside reliever worth buying into.

The Yankees need bullpen help, and the Padres might sell. Miller would be the dream, but since he’s under club control well beyond 2026, and Morejon is not, the left-hander makes much more sense for the Yankees than the superstar closer.

Adding Morejon would give the Yankees a nice compliment to David Bednar as a set-up man, while Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick, along with others, can be used when needed.

This bullpen really only needs one good option, and while Miller would be fun, realistically, someone like Morejon, a rental who shouldn’t cost too much, is a more realistic target.