The San Diego Padres bullpen, initially expected to be a team strength, has shown inconsistency early in the 2026 season, particularly with Jeremiah Estrada on the IL and Adrian Morejon struggling. Despite these setbacks, closer Mason Miller has emerged as a standout performer.
San Diego, California - April 09: Jeremiah Estrada #56 of the San Diego Padres looks on as he walks back to the dugout during the eleventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on Thursday, April 9, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres bullpen was expected to be the strength of the team coming into the 2026 season, the first season under new manager and former Padres reliever Craig Stammen. The San Diego bullpen has been good, but it has not been the shutdown game-determining juggernaut the Friar Faithful expected. In fact, one of those power arms at the back of the āpen, Jeremiah Estrada, landed on the IL following a slow start to the year. Estrada had some difficult outings where he did not look like the same dominant arm that struck out 13 batters in a row, but the greater concern was the drop in his velocity. Another electric arm in the San Diego bullpen, Adrian Morejon, has also struggled to start the season. Stammen said it himself in a recent postgame press conference, Morejon is not getting hit hard, but broken bat singles and flares to the outfield somehow keep finding grass.
The performances of Estrada and Morejon have really been the only negatives from the bullpen so far. Yuki Matsui has yet to return to the big-league roster, but Jason Adam was reinstated last week and looks like he never suffered a season-ending injury in 2025. David Morgan, Kyle Hart, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez have all had moments this season where fans could see what the potential the prognosticators saw before the season began when they were praising the Padresā bullpen.
Of course, the crown jewel of the San Diego bullpen to this point in the season is closer Mason Miller. He has been talked about as the single most dominant player at any position in the MLB. That is high praise for one of the biggest points of contention from the 2025 season. Was it a mistake by general manager A.J. Preller to trade top-prospect Leodalis DeVries for Miller and JP Sears? Even without Sears, those in favor of the trade could claim a victory.
One thing is for sure, as the season progresses and players like Estrada, Morejon and eventually Matsui return to the bullpen, decisions for Stammen and Preller will become increasingly difficult. The benefit of those decisions should be the elite group that was so highly touted in the offseason.
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