MLB Insider says Mets top pitcher trade targets are off the market

The New York Mets were kicking the tires on a trade for San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease.

Oct 9, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The New York Mets will likely be entering the season with the current rotation after the San Diego Padres have pulled Dylan Cease and Michael King off the market.

As per MLB Insider Jim Bowden, the Padres are prepared to move ahead with both Cease and King on the roster after reportedly never receiving an offer worth considering. The Mets were known to be one of the teams checking in on Cease and just yesterday, MLB insider Jon Heyman wrote an article about what a potential Mets offer could look like.

“I’m being told that although the Padres listened the entire offseason on offers for Dylan Cease and Michael King, I’m being told that they never got an offer they liked and they never got an offer they were considering,” Bowden said on Friday’s episode of Foul Territory TV.

The Padres never got an offer for Dylan Cease or Michael King that was worth considering, says @JimBowdenGM. pic.twitter.com/wAefn2jrQI

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 14, 2025

Rumors were heating up about a potential Cease trade earlier this week when the Padres signed veteran pitcher Nick Pivetta to a four-year deal worth $55 million. It is widely believed that the Padres do not intend to re-sign Cease, who is on a one-year contract worth $13.75 million. Cease could still be moved mid-year or at the trade deadline, but for now, the team intends to start the season with the rotation they have.

Read More: MLB insider lists potential Mets trade package for Padres ace Dylan Cease

The Mets have been a team linked to a long list of free-agent starters this offseason. The team re-signed Sean Manaea and finally has ace Kodai Senga back to full health; after that, the rotation has the same question marks the team faced before last season.

Frankie Montas, David Peterson, Paul Blackburn, and Griffin Canning are all solid back-end of the rotation guys, but the Mets will need at least two of them to step up and eat a lot of innings this year. Former New York Yankee Clay Holmes has been stretching out this spring, as he will be transitioning from a reliever to a starter.

After spending nearly $1 billion to sign Juan Soto and re-sign Pete Alonso, the Mets can ill afford to have their rotation hold them back this year. But perhaps after spending that much, the Mets are fine holding onto their top prospects.

https://t.co/aikBadFGjx. If Padres do have to trade Cease (their baseball people don’t want to), the Mets are well positioned with these four coveted prospects

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 14, 2025

As Heyman wrote, the Padres would be looking at a minimum of Luisangel Acuña or pitcher Brandon Sproat for Cease, if not both. The Mets could be playing the long-term game and hoping they can sign Cease to a new contract in the offseason without losing any of their top prospects.