Adrian Morejón is pitching for the Padres to win.
He’s also pitching to make sure they keep him on the roster.
The trade deadline is approaching, and every victory strengthens San Diego’s playoff hopes and gives president of baseball operations A.J. Preller one more reason to resist selling.
That’s exactly what Morejón is after. His calculus is simple: The longer the Padres stay in contention, the better his chances are of remaining with the only organization he’s ever known.
“I hope so,” Morejón said.
The irony is, of course, that the more success Morejón has, the more attractive he becomes to contenders looking for bullpen help.
“I know,” Morejón said with a sigh. “I’m trying to pitch good for the Padres, but I know everybody’s watching.”
It’s trade deadline week, baseball’s equivalent of Shark Week. Players having breakout seasons become the chum, while rumors — many of them unfounded — serve as the bait.
Morejón, closer Mason Miller and slugging infielder Ty France have all been part of the rumor mill in recent weeks as speculation has swirled about whether the Padres will be buyers or sellers at Monday’s deadline.
The days leading up to the deadline bring countless questions to players about their futures — questions that are nearly impossible to answer. Social-media pundits confidently predict outcomes as if players are assets instead of people who, with one phone call, could be asked to uproot their lives, move their families and perform for a new team in the middle of a pennant race.
Even for players who are paid handsomely and have support systems in place to handle the logistics, the uncertainty can be nerve-wracking.
“(Some) people are naive and think everything that you read online is real,” said Miller, who was traded from the A’s to the Padres at last year’s deadline. “But I know that’s not the case. (The talk) is impossible to completely ignore … but for all of us, it’s out of our control in terms of what might lie ahead.”
Ty France of the San Diego Padres flips his bat after a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Petco Park on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Uneasy days
France has lived the uncertainty before.
He was traded at the deadline in 2020, 2024 and 2025. While there have been positives — a World Series run with the Toronto Blue Jays and the opportunity to play every day with the Seattle Mariners — the experience of being traded during the season is still “life-altering,” he said.
The logistical headaches are greater than ever for the 32-year-old France, who has 16 home runs, 46 RBIs and a .877 OPS this season. He and his wife have a young son, with twins on the way.
Miller described last year’s trade from the Sacramento-based A’s to San Diego as “jarring,” even if staying in California softened the transition.
Going from a rebuilding club to a contender helped.
“It was a big difference going from a team that (was) out of it at the end of July to a team that was right in it,” he said. “That made the two months, I thought, go faster. That was my first taste of competitive baseball — like, true meaningful baseball down the stretch.”
Adrian Morejon #50 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Petco Park on Friday, April 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The home team
While Miller is relatively new to the organization, Morejón’s connection to the Padres runs even deeper.
The Padres signed the Cuban left-hander when he was 17 years old. The clubhouse is filled with teammates he considers family and a coaching staff that helped revive his career after injuries threatened to derail it. Morejón will become a free agent after this season, opening opportunities that he and his agent will discuss in the offseason.
Morejón has been excellent for the third consecutive season, posting an 8-2 record with a 3.14 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings while regularly hitting 100 mph.
Right now, though, his focus is simple.
“I’m trying to not put too much pressure on me right now,” Morejón said. “I know what’s going on for the trade deadline. I try not to think too much about that because it’s a little bit hard for me because I (have played) for 10 years with the Padres, so I don’t like if (a trade) happens.
“I prefer to stay here. I know it’s not my decision, but that’s why I try to pitch good, trying to help the team win.”
Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Petco Park on Sunday, July 12, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Value judgment
Miller is only in his third major league season, but trade speculation has followed him every summer.
This year, though, he’s become a household name.
Miller saved his 28th game of the season on Wednesday, lowering his ERA to 0.79 in the process. He has struck out 85 batters in 45 2/3 innings of work while appearing in his second All-Star Game.
“I don’t think I’m that much different of a pitcher,” Miller said. “But I think that where it’s a results-driven game, I’ve ended up with better results over the course of the last year, and that’s a byproduct of a lot of different things. Some of that is just also playing on a team that’s competitive. So, each year has its little intricacies that make it different, but it’s kind of the same thing. It’s like, if somebody wants to give up the world to get me, I’m sure that it has to be a yes.”
The Padres traded top-rated prospect Leo De Vries and three other players ranked in the top 20 of their farm system to land Miller a year ago.
“Everybody looked at that as a big prospect haul; kind of setting the bar, if you will,” Miller said. “Everybody has different ways of valuing and evaluating talent too. It’s a pretty hard thing to do.
“A closer is valuable on a good team. It’s less valuable on a team that’s not as good.”
Miller is pragmatic as the trade deadline nears. He knows anything is possible. Until Monday passes, he and his wife, Jordan, are in the dark. They’ll embrace whatever the future holds.
But …
“We do like it here,” he said.