Padres GM AJ Preller Might Not Be Done Making Additions Following Dylan Cease Trade
The San Diego Padres made a splash addition to their roster on Wednesday, acquiring starting pitcher Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. Cease gives this team another quality starter to form a pretty formidable top of the rotation.
Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has been known to have tricks up his sleeve when it comes to making trades or signing free agents, and he didn't disappoint on Wednesday. However, the Padres may not be done making moves, even with them heading to Korea for their opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Here's what Preller had to say after making the Cease deal.
“We'll set the roster [for Korea], and then we'll set the roster a second time,” Preller said. “But we like our group. We like where we're at. We like the guys we have. This was just -- the ability to acquire someone like Dylan Cease, add another horse to the front of our rotation, we couldn't pass that up.”
Padres beat writer for MLB.com AJ Cassavell had this to say about the Padres potentially looking to still add:
"Sources have indicated that Preller remains in search of outfield help."
Dennis Lin of The Athletic had a similar statement:
"Preller, too, might not be done adding. League sources say he continues to be active in the trade and free-agent markets for corner-outfield help."
Clearly, the Padres still want to add another outfielder to the mix, which makes sense especially with the recent injury news surrounding Jurickson Profar.
The Padres have been linked with numerous outfielders over the last few weeks. On Thursday, one of those candidates, Adam Duvall, signed with the Atlanta Braves, but multiple free agent outfielders remain available.
The biggest name left is Tommy Pham, who is quite familiar with the team after spending two years with San Diego.
If the Padres could add another veteran such as Pham, it would be well worth it. However, there have been other reports stating that to this point, the Padres have been unwilling to meet the demands of Pham.
If the two sides can come together on a deal that is fair for both sides, it could be a nice reunion. Other options include Michael A. Taylor, or potentially guys on the trade market.
This Padres team is much more formidable with Cease in the mix and are one outfielder away from having a complete roster heading into the 2024 season.
