Dylan Cease was a huge boost for the San Diego Padres this season after being traded from the Chicago White Sox. He helped stabilize the rotation while the team made the postseason.\
Unfortunately, they had troubles in the NLDS, losing the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, all the attention is on next year, and how the club can make themselves a contender.
Cease should be back next season as he is under team control, but that is not a guarantee. He could be traded during the offseason, something SD insider Steven Woods discussed on the Ben and Woods show:
“I think the only one you may be able to look at potentially being moved in the offseason is Dylan Cease. It’s not that [he] isn’t a good pitcher, it’s not that I don’t like [him], [he] has some value.”
Woods explained that Cease did a solid job this year. However, he is only under team control through the 2025 season. After that, he will likely demand a big contract. Ben Higgins said:
“I tend to agree with you that Michael King is probably the priority, but you would be foolish not to at least listen to offers.”
Woods and Higgins believe it would be in the club’s best interest to listen to offers for Cease. Being a Scott Boras client, sticking with cease past the 2025 season could be quite costly. Woods added:
“He’s going to cost so much cash, and I believe he is a Boras’ guy as well, if I’m not mistaken. So, he is one of those guys where you’re like, ‘I can’t pay this guy $25 millon a year for the next five years. It’s probably not in the budget.”
Could Dylan Cease’s postseason struggles make him a trade candidate for the Padres?
Dylan Cease had a solid year with the Padres, but he certainly struggled in the postseason. He lasted just five innings over two starts, giving up eight earned runs, making for a 14.40 ERA.
However, this was only the third time the hard-throwing righty played in a postseason game. Before the trade, he only pitched in two postseason games with the White Sox.
The postseason blunder could be a reason the front office decides to listen to offers. Cease is still somebody a team could build around, and there are always teams looking to add formidable starters.
