The Washington Nationals’ pitching philosophy has come a long way since the days of the “I don’t care how fast you throw ball four.” sign posted in the team’s Spring Training facility.
Their current farm system is loaded with arms that can touch anywhere from the upper 90s to triple digits with their fastball, and their pitching infrastructure has continued to shift its focus toward maximizing high-octane stuff. The franchise’s minor league levels include pitchers such as Miguel Sime Jr., Travis Sykora,
and Jarlin Susana, who will all look to break into the major league rotation in the near future.
The one area that caused Nats fans the most distress in 2026, however, is also one that doesn’t contain many surefire in-house reinforcements. To say that it was a chore to watch the 2026 Nationals’ bullpen would be an understatement, and the revolving door of relievers often bordered on unwatchable territory.
Some prospective relievers could elevate themselves into main bullpen roles, including righties Yovanny Cruz and Riley Cornelio. While both have flashed intriguing potential in their time in Washington, they haven’t shown nearly enough to be relied on as the future of the team’s bullpen.
Relievers are known for their volatile nature, but few free agent bullpen arms offer the consistency and upside of former San Diego Padre Adrian Morejon.
Entering the 2027 free agent class as one of the premier relievers on the open market, it’s set up to be a heated competition to land the 27-year-old. Spotrac has Morejon’s market value listed at 3 years and $35 million, projecting the lefty to land a deal just south of $11 million per year.
If you need an argument for why Washington should pursue the electric southpaw, just take one look at his Baseball Savant page. He was absolutely stellar once again across 86.0 innings for the Padres, and just about every stat available backs it up. His ERA finished under 3.00 for the third consecutive year, and he placed in the 90th percentile or above in every Savant metric except BB% (57th) and Extension (28th).
His strikeout numbers jumped considerably, eclipsing his previous career high by a whopping 36 extra Ks, and he maintained his walk rate around where it has been in recent years. He did allow a run in one of his two playoff outings, but finished his brief October stint with 4.0 innings with just that one run allowed.
Morejon is truly one of those pitchers that makes you wonder how any hitter ever makes contact, and he represents the 100th percentile outcome for many of Washington’s developing bullpen arms. His average fastball sat at 99.4 MPH in 2026, and he was overpowering hitters with the same dominance as the Jacob Misiorowskis and Mason Millers of the world.
Morejon has spent all of his career as a setup man, but it’s not out of the question that Washington could lure him to the nation’s capital with the promise of being the team’s primary closer. In an age where seemingly every team’s bullpen is a never-ending barrage of some of the filthiest arms you’ve ever seen, it’s time for the Nats to turn up the pressure and add Morejon to their arsenal.
