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It’s not customary for the Minnesota Twins to be particularly aggressive in the free-agent reliever market. In fact, the only bullpen arm they’ve signed to a multi-year deal over the last decade was Addison Reed, and that didn’t turn out particularly well. But times are changing. Tom Pohlad has pledged to take this organization to new heights. With that in mind, perhaps it’s time for the Twins to rethink how they invest in their bullpen. If Pohlad truly wants to do things differently, it starts with putting more money into the roster. One way to do that this offseason would be to pursue free-agent left-hander Adrián Morejón.
Morejón ranks eighth overall on DiamondCentric’s free-agent list and is the top-ranked reliever available this winter. He made his major-league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2019 (at just 20 years old) and has spent his entire big-league career with the organization. He isn't ninth-inning specialist, having recorded just eight saves on 19 opportunities over the last three years. However, there might not be a better setup man in baseball, and his stuff is more good enough to warrant a relief ace role.
He’s finished each of the last three seasons with an ERA of 2.83 or better and a FIP of 2.79 or better. He's been remarkably effective, and a change in his pitch mix this year helped take things to another level. In previous seasons, Morejón leaned on six different pitches to keep hitters off balance. This year, he simplified things a bit, relying more heavily on his changeup alongside his sinker, slider and four-seam fastball. The results speak for themselves.
His whiff and chase rates both ranked in at least the 97th percentile among major-league pitchers. He struck out more than three of every 10 batters he faced, and even when hitters managed to make contact, they weren't doing much damage. Morejón's hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity allowed all ranked in the 90th percentile or better. His ground-ball rate was elite, too.
All four of his primary pitches finished with a Stuff+ grade of at least 128, and each offers something different to keep hitters guessing. He regularly touches triple digits with his sinker, and that makes his changeup particularly nasty. It generated a whiff on 56% of swings against it. When hitters did make contact with either pitch, they frequently pounded the ball into the infield grass. Morejón allowed just one home run on those two pitches all season.
The movement profiles of those offerings also complement each other beautifully. His sinker generates a lot of arm-side run, while his changeup features significant late drop. That's a particularly difficult combination for hitters to handle, especially when Morejón can turn to his slider, as well.
His slider doesn't quite reach the elite 3,000-RPM threshold, but it comes close at just under 2,900 RPM. It’s also his main secondary offering against left-handers. They have to account for a fastball that can run in on their hands before trying to recognize a pitch that's roughly 10 MPH slower and moves sharply in the opposite direction. With that kind of spin and the movement of his other pitches, it's another weapon that makes his arsenal so difficult to square up.
Then there's his four-seam fastball. It doesn't feature exceptional movement on its own, but that's hardly a problem when you're throwing it 99 MPH with a vertical movement profile that's entirely different from the sinker. Hitters have to prepare for two high-velocity fastballs that move differently, along with a changeup that falls off the table and a slider that can finish them off. Morejón's four-seamer generated a 43% whiff rate, which is an incredible mark for a pitch that hitters generally expect to put in play more often.
Morejón's stuff is disgusting. Unfortunately for Minnesota, that ensures that he won't come cheap. The two most expensive relievers in baseball are also left-handed. Josh Hader signed a five-year, $95-million contract with Houston before the 2024 season, while Tanner Scott landed a four-year, $72-million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2025 campaign.
There’s an important distinction, though. Both Hader and Scott had established themselves as closers, while Morejón wasn't the Padres' primary ninth-inning option with Mason Miller in the mix. Scott also recorded more saves with San Diego after arriving at the 2024 trade deadline than Morejón managed over the course of that entire season. Still, a pitcher with Morejón's arsenal deserves an opportunity to close games. He'll likely be paid accordingly, regardless of whether a team initially views him as a setup man or its future closer.
He’ll be 28 on Opening Day 2027, putting him in a position to seek a three- to five-year contract. An average annual value around $20 million, give or take, might be what it takes to get a deal done. That's nowhere close to what the Twins have historically been willing to spend on relief pitching. But if Pohlad is serious about taking this team to new heights, he'll need to get comfortable making investments that Minnesota has traditionally avoided.
The Twins entered 2026 with a bullpen that was a glaring weakness, and they're still facing plenty of uncertainty heading into the offseason. They need to increase their payroll, improve the overall quality of their relief corps and find a dependable left-handed option to balance the group. Morejón checks those boxes. He's young enough to be a long-term piece, has the stuff to handle high-leverage situations and has already demonstrated that he can produce at an elite level.
Of course, there's a difference between identifying a great free-agent target and actually being willing to pay him. Morejón would represent a significant financial commitment, and there's no guarantee the Twins would be willing to compete with other teams for his services. But if Minnesota wants to build a better bullpen and prove that its approach to roster construction is changing, this is exactly the kind of opportunity Jeremy Zoll should explore.
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