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The Houston Astros are trying to keep up in the Major League Baseball arms race at the trade deadline, as big names get sent all over the league. Houston hasn't made a big move just yet, but its big swing could be just on the horizon.
The Astros need pitching help, and they could be targeting San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease in a deal. It's unclear if the Padres are going to actually move off of Cease at this moment, but the Astros are trying to get their hands on him according to MLB insider Mark Feinsand.
“The Astros are making a big push for Dylan Cease, with one source saying the starter is Houston’s ‘main target,'” Feinsand reported on X, formerly Twitter.
The Padres are in a bit of an interesting spot as a team that is talented enough to contend for a playoff spot, but also one that could position itself as a seller at the deadline if it doesn't feel like it can compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Cease would certainly get them a big return, especially from a contender desperate for pitching help like the Astros.
Cease is having a difficult year in 2025, with just a 3-10 record in 22 starts for the Padres. He has a 4.79 ERA and has struggled with his control a bit, walking 47 batters in 118 1/3 innings. However, he is still a strikeout machine (153 strikeouts this season) and has the kind of stuff that teams covet in their starting rotation.
The Astros will want to act fast at the trade deadline so that they don't miss out, especially after they have seen some of their chief rivals make big swings around the league. Earlier on Wednesday night, the Seattle Mariners reunited with star third baseman Eugenio Suarez in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which will make it that much harder to fend Seattle off in the AL West race.
However, if the Astros can shore up one of their only weaknesses and add Cease to the rotation, they will immediately solidify themselves as one of the favorites to win the AL pennant this fall.
