Chicago Cubs Trade Target Unlikely To Get Dealt by San Diego Padres This Offseason

It sounds like the Chicago Cubs won't have the opportunity to try and land another high-profile player on their radar this offseason.

Aug 22, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning at Petco Park / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have had a strong offseason.

Despite missing out on Alex Bregman in disappointing fashion, the two separate trades to bring in Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly were huge boosts to this roster after the front office was able to address their bullpen issues early.

But, it feels like the Cubs still know they are lacking one key piece to the puzzle.

They've gone after high-profile names all winter, coming up short in the Bregman sweepstakes and the pursuits for international phenom Roki Sasaki and star reliever Tanner Scott.

If Chicago still feels like they need to make one final move to truly put themselves in a position to contend, then they could turn their attention to acquiring Dylan Cease from the San Diego Padres, potentially creating the best starting rotation in the sport.

The Cubs were seen as a possible landing spot for the ace, and after missing on Bregman, that could be something Jed Hoyer and the front office pivot to ahead of their Opening Day matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan.

However, if there is interest from Chicago's side, it sounds like the Padres are no longer looking to deal Cease at this point in time.

"... and contributing to the apparent likelihood that top starter and trade candidate Dylan Cease remains with the club into Opening Day," Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported when discussing San Diego's new addition of Nick Pivetta. "Barring another club meeting Preller’s lofty asking prices, the Padres plan to open the season with a starting rotation led by Cease, King, Yu Darvish and Pivetta ..."

That's not too surprising.

The Padres want to contend and view themselves as such, so trading away someone like Cease, despite this being his final year under club control, seems backwards.

Getting a huge trade offer from a team around the league could change their mind, but the Cubs have been hesitant to offload their talented prospects in the past and seem unlikely to do so again this winter after already shipping out Cam Smith.

If San Diego is now no longer interested in moving Cease, then their asking price could be even higher than it was previously, making it unlikely he gets moved at all this offseason.

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