"Padres manager Craig Stammen says that the club is planning to keep Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón and David Morgan in the bullpen, per Alden González of ESPN. "It's a risky proposition health-wise and performance-wise," Stammen said, of the proposing of stretching them out. Turning relievers into starters has been all the rage around baseball in recent years. The appeal is often financial, as starters generally cost more in terms of dollars spent on free agents or prospects traded for controllable pitchers."
"Their rotation depth has been a problem for a few years now. They then traded Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek at the deadline to get catcher Freddy Fermin. They lost both King and Dylan Cease to free agency at season's end. is going to miss 2026 while recovering from UCL surgery. That leaves them with Nick Pivetta and a bunch of question marks. Joe Musgrove should be back next year but he just missed the 2025 campaign due to his own elbow surgery."
"The San Diego bullpen, on the other hand, was one of the best in 2025. Padres relievers had a collective 3.06 ERA this year, the best mark in the majors. They have lost Robert Suarez to free agency but it's still a talented group. Moving a reliever or two into a starting role could have perhaps helped the Padres bolster their rotation without costing any money, a key element for a club which has clearly been operating under financial constraints in recent"
Padres manager Craig Stammen confirmed plans to keep Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón and David Morgan in the bullpen, calling stretching them out risky for health and performance. Converting relievers into starters has proliferated as a cost-saving strategy since starters command higher payroll or prospect cost. San Diego faces rotation depth issues after trading prospects and losing free agents, and injuries and UCL surgery leave gaps. Nick Pivetta remains among uncertain options while Joe Musgrove recovers. The bullpen posted a 3.06 ERA in 2025 and remains a significant team strength.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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