JASON ADAM
Position(s): Right-handed pitcher
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 34
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 229 pounds
How acquired: Via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in July 2024
Contract status: Will make $6.675 million in his final year of arbitration; will be a free agent after the season.
fWAR in 2025: 1.2
Key 2025 stats: 8-4, 1.93 ERA, 0 saves, 29 holds, 70 strikeouts, 25 walks, 1.15 WHIP, .210 opponent average, 65⅓ innings (65 games)
STAT TO NOTE
92 — Adam’s holds since the start of the 2022 season, fourth most in the majors over that span behind LHP Tyler Rogers (109) and RHPs Bryan Abreu (95) and Griffin Jax (93).
TRENDING
Idle — The Padres gave up three young prospects — former first-rounder Dylan Lesko, the speedy Homer Bush Jr. and young catcher J.D. Gonzalez — for two plus years of control of Adam, who had been in the organization previously on a minor league deal. Four surgeries, four organizations and seven years later, Adam returned to buoy the bullpen heading into the 2024 postseason. He lowered his ERA from 2.49 to 1.01 after the trade deadline and in 2025 was finally recognized as one of the game’s top relievers as he joined Adrián Morejón and Robert Suarez on the All-Star team. No other team in MLB history had sent three relievers to the All-Star Game and Adam, even as a set-up man, was selected before bow-outs opened the door for his bullpen mates. Adam’s walk rate ticked up from 8.2% to 9.3% in his first full year in San Diego, his inherited run scoring rate jumped from 30% after the 2024 trade deadline to 46% and his whiff rate dropped from 38.4% to 33.3%, but Adam was as hard to hit as anyone as his expected weighted on base on contact of .303 ranked in the top 1 percentile of pitchers. That made him as good a bet as any to hand a lead off in later innings as his 29 holds were tied for the second most in the majors when he ruptured a quad tendon trying to field his position on Sept. 1. The injury ended his season a full month before the Padres were ready to flex their best asset — a bullpen of Suarez, the newly acquired Mason Miller, Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada and Adam — in the postseason.
2026 OUTLOOK
Following his September surgery, Adam has said this offseason there’s a “chance” he’s ready for opening day. When he’s ready, he’ll fold right into the top set-up spot and will likely get save opportunities on days that Miller is unavailable to pitch.
Jason Adam #40 of the San Diego Padres is carted off the field after injuring his knee in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Petco Park on Sept. 1, 2025 in San Diego, California. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
ROSTER RANKINGS
11. RHP Jason Adam
12. 2B Jake Cronenworth
13. RHP Joe Musgrove
14. RHP Randy Vasquez
15. OF Gavin Sheets
16. LHP JP Sears
17. RHP Yu Darvish
18. RHP Bradgley Rodriguez
19. RHP David Morgan
20. C Freddy Fermin
21. LHP Wandy Peralta
22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy