Even after signing Phil Maton and Hoby Milner in free agency, the Chicago Cubs need more bullpen help. They could use at least two more high-leverage arms, especially since Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz are all currently free agents.

With most of the top relievers like Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, and Tyler Rogers currently off the free-agent market, the Cubs could pivot to trading for a top bullpen arm instead. Looking at one of the San Diego Padres’ relievers could make a lot of sense for the Cubs.

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According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Padres are open to listening on Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Jeremiah Estrada this winter.

While Miller seems like a long shot to land in the Windy City, Morejon/Estrada could be a more realistic target for Chicago. Both of those relievers would immensely improve this Cubs’ bullpen in 2026.

Morejon has emerged as one of the best left-handed setup relievers in baseball over the past few years. He finished with a 2.83 ERA and 71 strikeouts across 63 ⅔ innings pitched in 2024 and then delivered a career year in 2025 behind a 2.08 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 73 ⅔ innings pitched.

There weren’t many more dominant left-handed pitchers out of the bullpen this past season. His expected ERA (2.61), barrel rate (4%), hard-hit rate (30.7%), and groundball rate (54.3%) all ranked in the 90th percentile or better.

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As for Estrada, he would be just as solid a trade target as Morejon. He has elite swing-and-miss stuff, and his splitter is simply untouchable on the mound. The right-hander ranked in the top 7% of the league in chase rate (33.5%), whiff rate (34.9%), and strikeout rate (35.5%) in 2025.

His ERA (3.45) might not have been as low as Morejon’s last year, but Estrada’s strikeout upside would make him a nice fit in Chicago’s bullpen. The Cubs also know the 27-year-old very well after drafting him in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

He appeared in 17 games for the Cubs in 2022 and 2023 before the team designated him for assignment on his 25th birthday. So, Estrada might feel a certain way if he were traded to Chicago this offseason.

However, picking up one of Morejon or Estrada would be a big boost for the Cubs’ bullpen. They both have shown consistency out of the bullpen in recent years, and neither reliever would cost as much as someone like Miller.

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Therefore, the Cubs should see what it would take to acquire one of those relievers. With the Padres at least open to trading some of their key pitchers, the front office should be all over those quality arms.