The Padres are reportedly looking to move Dylan Cease this offseason, and trade talks with the Chicago Cubs have legs.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Cubs are a team to watch in the Cease sweepstakes. The Padres are looking for more payroll flexibility, so they are trying to move Cease and fellow right-hander Michael King. Cease is more likely to be traded between the two pitchers, given that he makes more money.
The Cubs have already spoken to the Padres about a potential deal for Cease. Their farm system includes seven of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. Six of those seven prospects are expected to be ready for the big leagues in 2025, making them an ideal trade partner for the Padres.
Cease is owed $13.75 million in 2025, making him a great value given the current starting pitching market. He has made 32-plus starts in each of the last four seasons, and his 716 innings are the seventh-most in the MLB during that stretch. His 17.2 wins above replacement are also the sixth-highest in the majors. The Cubs rotation could certainly use the boost. Cease’s 4.2 WAR was higher than every starter in the Cubs rotation last season. FanGraphs also ranks their projected rotation of Shota Iminaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Tallion, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad to be the 20th-best in the MLB.
A trade to the Cubs would be a reunion of sorts for Cease, who was selected by the organization in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. The Georgia native soon established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball before getting traded to the White Sox along with outfielder Eloy Jimenez, first baseball Matt Rose, and infielder Bryant Flete in exchange for left-hander Jose Quintana. At the time of the trade, Cease was considered the No. 5 pitching prospect in baseball.
In five seasons on the South Side Cease owned a career 11.8 WAR and 3.83 ERA. He finished runner-up in the 2022 Cy Young voting after posting a 2.20 ERA and a career-high 227 strikeouts. He also ranked inside the MLB’s top ten in strikeouts during his final three seasons in Chicago.
