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The San Diego Padres had, by all accounts, a successful 2024 season, as they came to within one win away of advancing to the NLCS and eliminating the Los Angeles Dodgers from World Series contention. And they figure to play a huge part in the postseason picture in 2025 as well, as they retained their core players who aren't in much danger of falling off anytime soon. However, it looks as though the Padres are looking to do a bit of maneuvering on the trade market, as according to the rumor mill, they are putting out feelers for Dylan Cease.
The Padres, however, aren't simply dangling Cease for the sake of doing so. If Cease were to be traded away, Jon Heyman of the New York Post mentioned that San Diego has two contingency options in mind, bringing in either Jack Flaherty or Nick Pivetta from free agency.
Cease is currently in the final year of his contract, and it's not quite clear if the Padres still have room in their budget for the kind of contract that the 29-year-old will be commanding when his current deal is up. He is coming off a 4.8 WAR season (per Fangraphs) thanks to his 3.47 ERA across 189.1 innings of work (33 starts).
The team reportedly most interested in Cease is the New York Mets; the Mets have made their ambitions to contend for a World Series in 2025 known, and their pitching staff remains the area that's most ripe for improvement. Cease would help them immensely in that regard, and they should have the money to keep him on the team even past the 2025 season.
Cease has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the big leagues since 2021, and it's hard to envision the Padres trading him away without a suitable replacement lined up.
Padres make Michael King available on the trade market?
Michael King was one of the main pieces that the Padres acquired in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees prior to the 2024 season. King then blossomed into a star in the rotation, starting 30 games while putting up a sterling 2.95 ERA. However, like Cease, King will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
King's trade value will be lower than Cease's; he has a shorter track record of consistent starting rotation production, and he's older than Cease by a few months. But the Padres are looking to maximize asset value by dangling King and Cease instead of facing the possibility of losing them for nothing in free agency.