Adrian Morejon DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, left-handed pitcher Adrian Morejon will report to camp as a relief pitcher. Manager Mike Shildt noted that Morejon "has found a really nice niche in the bullpen." Last summer, Morejon operated primarily out of the bullpen and held a 2.83 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. Across 63 2/3 innings of work, he struck out 71 batters while holding a 7.7 percent walk rate. Under the hood, he generated a stellar 32.4 percent hard-hit rate and a 51.4 percent ground-ball rate, placing him in the 93rd and 86th percentile, respectively. He tallied two saves and was deployed typically in the sixth and seventh innings. Fantasy managers should expect Morejon to operate in a similar role in 2025 as Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, and Jeremiah Estrada are viewed as the high-leverage arms in the bullpen.

The San Diego Padres would love to land Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki this offseason, but if they don't, general manager A.J. Preller mentions left-hander Adrian Morejon as a candidate to move from the bullpen to the starting rotation in 2025. Preller also said that right-handed relievers Bryan Hoeing and Stephen Kolek could be options to join the rotation. It will all depend on what the Padres do in free agency and on the trade market before the start of spring training. Morejon is coming off the best year of his career and pitched his way into a high-leverage bullpen role. He had a 2.83 ERA (2.79 FIP) and a 10.0 K/9 in 60 appearances. Staying healthy has been an issue for the southpaw in his career, though, so a move to a starting role wouldn't help his chances at staying on the field. Hoeing was a part-time starter with the Marlins before he was acquired at last summer's trade deadline.