MLB Trade Rumors: San Diego Padres' potential Dylan Cease trade comes with free agency contingency plan
According to all accounts, the San Diego Padres had a fantastic 2024 season, coming within one victory of advancing to the NLCS and removing the Los Angeles Dodgers from the running for the World Series. Since they kept their key players, who aren't in much danger of leaving anytime soon, they also expect to play a significant role in the 2025 postseason scenario. The Padres are reportedly making moves for Dylan Cease, though, so it appears that they are trying to do some negotiating on the trade market.
But the Padres aren't just hanging Cease for the sake of hanging him.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, San Diego has two backup plans in case Cease is moved away: they may sign Nick Pivetta or Jack Flaherty out of free agency.
Cease is in the last year of his contract, and it's unclear if the Padres have enough money left over to pay the 29-year-old the kind of contract he will demand when his current one expires. With a 3.47 ERA across 189.1 innings pitched (33 starts), he is coming off a 4.8 WAR season (per Fangraphs).
The New York Mets, who have stated their desire to compete for a World Series in 2025, are apparently the team most interested in Cease. Their pitching staff is still the area that needs the greatest work. In that sense, Cease would be a huge asset, and they ought to have the funds to retain him after the 2025 campaign.
Since 2021, Cease has been among the most reliable pitchers in the major leagues, so it's difficult to imagine the Padres shipping him away without having a good successor in place.
Does the Padres put Michael King up for trade?
A key component of the Padres' transaction that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees before the 2024 season was Michael King. After that, King became a rotation standout, starting 30 games and recording an impressive 2.95 ERA. King will, however, be a free agency at the end of the 2025 season, much as Cease.
Because King is a few months older than Cease and has a shorter history of reliable starting rotation productivity, his trade value will be lower than Cease's. However, by keeping King and Cease in place rather than risking losing them for nothing in free agency, the Padres are trying to maximize asset value.
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