Trade Profile: San Diego Relievers

The Mets entered the offseason with a glaring need for relievers. They bolstered their bullpen by signing two-time All-Star Devin Williams, but over the past week, they were dealt some blows. Edwin Díaz signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers, then Tyler Rogers signed a three-year deal of his own with the Blue Jays.

However, the Mets were recently linked to the Padres in trade rumors, who have some relievers who could be available in trades. Each pitcher will likely carry a high price tag, but would provide a huge boost to a depleted bullpen that struggled mightily in the second half of the season.

Jeremiah Estrada

Position: RP B/T: S/R
Player Data: Age: 27 (11/1/1998)
2025 Traditional Stats: 77 G, 73 IP, 3.45 ERA, 1.164 WHIP, 4-5, 3 SV, 108 K, 27 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 124 ERA+, 35.5% K%, 8.9% BB%, 2.80 xERA, 3.55 FIP, 3.18 xFIP, 1.0 fWAR, 1.2 bWAR

Rundown

An eighth-round pick by the Cubs in 2017, Jeremiah Estrada struggled in Triple-A and over his 17 major league appearances before being removed from Chicago’s 40-man roster in 2023. The Padres claimed him off waivers, and he spent most of April in Triple-A in 2024. However, he flourished once he was called up to the majors, forcing his way into Mike Shildt’s circle of trust in a breakout season. Estrada posted a 2.95 ERA and 2.07 FIP, striking out 94 batters and only allowing four home runs in 61 innings. Estrada also grabbed headlines when he struck out 13 consecutive opponents, which set a modern MLB record.

Estrada followed up his remarkable 2024 season with another solid campaign in 2025. He appeared in 77 games, and while his numbers weren’t as spectacular as the year prior, he still struck out 108 batters in 73 innings, and his walk rate dropped from 9.1% to 8.9%. The main blemish on Estrada’s season was the 12 home runs he allowed, although that also came with a 14.7% home run to flyball ratio. Estrada’s 2.80 xERA, 3.18 xFIP, and .180 xBA indicate that he got a little unlucky and still has room to grow.

He leans heavily on his four-seam fastball, which averages 97.8 mph and is used 56.8% of the time. While he allowed eight home runs on the heater, it registered a solid 29.1% whiff rate and a plus-1 run value. Estrada’s most effective pitch in 2025 was his splitter, which registered a 47.5% whiff rate and plus-5 run value, and opponents had a weak .108 xBA and .127 xSLG against it. Estrada’s slider was hit hard, to the tune of a .578 slugging percentage, but it still recorded a 40.8% whiff rate.

Estrada recently turned 27 years old and has four years left of club control. While he doesn’t have much closing experience, he continues to get chances in high-leverage situations and could be a closer at some point in the future. It’s hard to imagine San Diego would move him without receiving at least one high-end prospect.

Mason Miller

Position: RP B/T: R/R
Player Data: Age: 27 (08/24/1998)
2025 Traditional Stats: 60 G, 61 2/3 IP, 2.63 ERA, 0.908 WHIP, 1-2, 22 SV, 104 K, 28 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 162 ERA+, 44.4% K%, 12.0% BB%, 2.56 xERA, 2.23 FIP, 2.27 xFIP, 2.0 fWAR, 2.2 bWAR

Rundown

Mason Miller enjoyed a strong rookie season, racking up 28 saves and making the All-Star Game while finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Early in 2025, the fireballing righty looked mortal, owning a 6.11 ERA on May 24 after his second blown save in his last three opportunities. However, he began to settle down and lowered his ERA to 3.76 by July 26. With the Athletics out of the race, Miller was traded along with JP Sears to the Padres for a package of prospects headlined by shortstop Leo De Vries, who was ranked the No. 3 prospect in baseball.

While Miller was mostly used as a setup man for Robert Suarez in San Diego, he turned into the most dominant version of himself over the final two months of the season. In 23 1/3 innings as a Padre, Miller allowed just two earned runs (0.77 ERA) and struck out a whopping 54.2% of the batters he faced while holding his opponents to a .096/.205/.137 batting line. In his first taste of postseason action, Miller kept dealing, appearing in two games and striking out eight of the nine batters he faced in 2 2/3 scoreless (and hitless) innings. By the end of the season, Miller’s overall numbers looked almost more dominant than they did in 2024 – his strikeout rate increased from 41.8% to 44.4%, and his opponents’ OPS dropped from .495 to .493. The one concerning area for Miller was his walk rate, which rose from 8.4% to 12.0%.

Miller is the hardest thrower in baseball, with his fastball averaging a blazing 101.2 mph. His fastball generated a strong 37.5% whiff rate, and opponents batted just .163 against it. While Miller’s heater grabs headlines, his slider was his best pitch by a wide margin in 2025, boasting a 54.6% strikeout rate and holding opponents to a .108 average with no extra-base hits. Miller’s slider registered a plus-16 run value, trailing just Chris Sale (who threw more than double the amount of pitches) on the Baseball Savant run value leaderboard. Miller also occasionally mixed in a changeup.

Like Estrada, Miller is 27 years old and has four years of club control remaining. However, he will carry by far the biggest price tag considering what the Padres gave up to acquire him.

Adrián Morejón

Position: RP B/T: L/L
Player Data: Age: 26 (02/27/1999)
2025 Traditional Stats: 75 G, 73 2/3 IP, 2.08 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, 13-6, 3 SV, 70 K, 17 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 206 ERA+, 24.5% K%, 5.9% BB%, 2.61 xERA, 2.28 FIP, 3.08 xFIP, 2.2 fWAR, 2.4 bWAR

Rundown

Adrián Morejón followed up a breakout 2024 campaign with the best season of his career in 2025. He appeared in a career-high 75 games and set career-best marks in ERA, ERA+, WHIP, walk rate, and strikeout-to-walk ratio. Morejón also allowed just two home runs in 73 1/3 innings and had a 51.3% ground-ball rate and 30.7% hard-hit rate, which helped counteract his strikeout rate dropping from 26.1% to 24.5%. Morejón was named to his first All-Star Game alongside teammates Jason Adam and Robert Suarez, making San Diego the first team ever to send three relievers to the Midsummer Classic.

Like Miller and Estrada, Morejón heavily leaned on his high-octane fastball, though his primary heater is a sinker, which he averaged 97.7 mph and was used 61.7% of the time in 2025. While his sinker doesn’t generate whiffs at a high rate, it registered a plus-16 run value, due in part to limiting hard contact. His slider generated whiffs at a 38.3% rate, and opponents hit just .129 with a .214 xSLG against it. Morejón’s change-up had a 48.8% whiff rate and an impressive plus-4 run value despite being thrown 66 times during the season.

Morejón is the youngest of the three relievers, but he also has the least amount of club control, set to hit free agency after the 2026 season. It will likely still take a strong offer to pry him away from San Diego, but it might not require as much capital.

Package

The Mets have made it clear that Nolan McLean is untouchable in trade talks, and that’s likely the case for Carson Benge, too. Teams are intrigued by Jonah Tong, and San Diego would almost certainly want him in a trade package. Brandon Sproat, A.J. Ewing, Jacob Reimer, and Ryan Clifford would likely be discussed, too, as well as players from the major league roster, including Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Mark Vientos, and Jeff McNeil. Fast risers Jonathan Santucci and Jack Wenninger could also pique San Diego’s interest. Acquiring any one of these relievers on their own would command a hefty return, and with the Mets in need of multiple arms, it’s hard to imagine they would be trying to acquire just a singular arm.

Recommendation

The Mets need to act to mend their bullpen, and the pressure has only mounted since Edwin Díaz left for the Dodgers. The options on the free agent market are dwindling, too, and they will have to shift their focus to the trade market if they want to acquire another high-leverage arm.

However, it’s hard to justify mortgaging the farm for just one player. The most attainable arm of these three is Morejón, and he might fit the Mets’ needs the best since they could use another lefty in the bullpen. The most desirable arm of the trio is Miller, but San Diego will command a king’s ransom in return. For a trade to be worth the cost for the Mets, they will need to acquire multiple players in the deal.

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