MLB Insiders Split on Future of San Diego Padres' Star Pitchers at Trade Deadline

After acquiring closer Mason Miller and starter JP Spears from the Athletics on Thursday, the San Diego Padres now have decisions to make on Dylan Cease and Robert Suárez.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

While the San Diego Padres appeared to bolster their pitching staff by completing a blockbuster trade with the Athletics, their plans moving forward aren't any more clear.

The Padres traded four prospects, including shortstop Leodalis De Vries, to the A's in exchange for closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears on Thursday. With San Diego currently holding the third NL Wild Card spot, the move seems to signify that the front office is going all-in.

The spotlight now shifts to closer Robert Suárez and starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who have been brought up in trade rumors for weeks. But instead of getting displaced by Miller and Spears, respectively, the pair may stay put after all.

According to The New York Post's Jon Heyman, it should not be assumed that the Padres are going to trade Cease or Suárez. USA Today's Bob Nightengale went as far as saying San Diego has no plans to trade Suárez and that Cease could be retained as well.

Padres are really going for it and it shouldn’t be assumed Cease and/or Suarez will be going now after they added Miller and Sears

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2025

The Padres have no plans to trade closer Robert Suarez, giving them the best bullpen in baseball.
They also may keep starter Dylan Cease, after all, with J.P. Sears giving them plenty of depth.
Once again, the Padres are all-in.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2025

On the other side of the debate, though, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that Suárez and Cease are "likely" to be traded in the wake of Miller and Sears' arrivals.

Sources: Robert Suarez and Dylan Cease likely to be on the move now that the Padres have landed Mason Miller and J.P. Sears.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 31, 2025

Suárez leads the NL with 30 saves so far in 2025 and made his second consecutive All-Star appearance earlier this month. The 34-year-old reliever has an $8 million player option coming up for next season, so he could very well hit free agency in three months' time.

Cease, meanwhile, is on an expiring deal without any options. After placing fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024, the 29-year-old righty is 3-10 with a 4.79 ERA, 1.335 WHIP and 0.5 WAR this season.

Still, Cease leads MLB with 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and his 178 starts since his big league debut in 2019 are the most in baseball in that span.

The Padres gave away four players for Cease just before the 2024 season got underway, picking him up in a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox. The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros seem to be hoping Cease is on the block again 16 months later, but it remains to be seen if San Diego general manager A.J. Preller is willing to punt on the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up.

The trade deadline is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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