The Philadelphia Phillies are projected to land free-agent left-hander Adrian Morejon on a five-year, $90 million contract this offseason to strengthen a bullpen that struggled in 2026.
MLB analyst Ryan Finkelstein of JustBaseball made the prediction as free agency opened following the Phillies’ early exit from the postseason. Philadelphia finished 88-74 and lost to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wild Card Series, its earliest postseason departure in five years.
The club’s bullpen ranked among the bottom third of the league in key categories after injuries and inconsistent performances from several arms. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has indicated the Phillies will look to improve their pitching staff while remaining focused on contending for a title.
Morejon, who turns 28 in February, spent the past three seasons as a full-time reliever with the San Diego Padres. In 2026 he went 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 107 strikeouts across 86 innings in 76 appearances. He recorded 28 holds and three saves while posting an 11.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate.
Those numbers built on a strong 2025 campaign in which Morejon earned All-Star honors and posted a 2.08 ERA over 73 2/3 innings. Across the last three seasons he has compiled a 2.58 ERA and limited opposing hitters to a low batting average against.
Finkelstein highlighted Morejon’s strikeout ability in his prediction.
“As a reliever, Morejon punched out 107 in 86 innings pitched,” Finkelstein wrote. “Can you imagine how many he would punch out if he was getting a starter’s workload? Morejon has the arsenal to be a starting pitcher, as he can sit 96-97 with his sinker and get plenty of success, especially with the weapons he already has at his disposal.”
The analyst noted that some clubs could view the left-hander as a rotation candidate, which might affect contract structure.
“If Morejon is asked to start, his contract will likely include an opt-out after year two or year three, allowing him to hit the market again as a starting pitcher at a young enough age where he could really cash in,” Finkelstein wrote. “As for landing spots, one team that could make a lot of sense for Morejon is the Phillies. The Phillies could keep Morejon in the setup man role to Jhoan Duran, giving Philadelphia the best left-right tandem in baseball. While the thought of Morejon as a starter is tantalizing, teams may simply value the fact that he does his job as well as anyone in baseball, and instead just ask him to keep doing it for the next five years.”
The Padres extended Morejon a qualifying offer of $23.15 million for the 2027 season. He has until mid-November to accept or decline. Signing him would require the Phillies to forfeit draft picks and international bonus pool money under the qualifying-offer rules.
Dombrowski has emphasized the organization’s goal remains winning a championship despite roster and payroll considerations.
“We’re expecting and we want to win a World Series,” Dombrowski said. “Our ownership has been as open to doing things as anybody possibly can be. We still haven’t sat down and set our final payrolls by any means for next year.”
Other industry projections for Morejon have ranged from three years and $42 million to four-year deals in the $60 million to $88 million range, with some estimates approaching $100 million if he is viewed primarily as a high-leverage reliever. His ground-ball rate ranked in the 98th percentile last season, and he allowed only four home runs in 86 innings.
The Phillies already employ right-hander Jhoan Duran as their primary late-inning option. Adding a left-handed counterpart of Morejon’s caliber would address a clear need after the club parted ways with several left-handed relievers and dealt with injuries to others.
No major free-agent signings have occurred since the market opened roughly a week ago. General managers are meeting this week, which often serves as a catalyst for early offseason activity. The Phillies have not won the World Series since 2008.
Morejon’s career mark through eight major-league seasons stands at 32-14 with a 3.26 ERA in 298 1/3 innings. He has recorded 321 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP while appearing in 261 games.
Whether Philadelphia pursues the five-year commitment remains to be seen, but the prediction underscores the club’s urgency to upgrade its bullpen after another postseason disappointment.
