Padres' Dylan Cease 'Wasn't Bummed' He Didn't Return to San Diego in Free Agency

The San Diego Padres front office saw multiple changes take place to the roster over the offseason, especially in the starting rotation.

The big loss for the Padres was seeing ace Dylan Cease leave the organization to sign a massive seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. There were rumblings that Cease wouldn't return to San Diego, but losing his presence in the starting group has been bigger than expected.

Now with Toronto, Cease has looked very strong, and he's heading to the first All-Star Game of his career. Through 17 starts, Cease has recorded an ERA of 2.56, proving that the Padres not retaining him may have been a poor decision.

With the Blue Jays in town this weekend to face the Padres, Cease looked back on his time in San Diego. The veteran discussed his free agency, saying that he wasn't upset about leaving the Padres organization.

“I feel like I kind of understood,” Cease said to reporters. “I don’t feel like I helped myself with how I pitched last year. So no I wasn’t really bummed. That’s just part of the game, part of the business. No hard feelings or anything.

"Like I said, I really do love San Diego a lot. This place is special. I feel very grateful I got to play here and it’s always going to be cool coming back.”

Cease spent two years with the Padres following a blockbuster trade just before the 2024 season. The right-hander was the ace of the staff during this time, even if his numbers were a little up-and-down.

In 2024, Cease owned an ERA of 3.47 over 33 starts, helping the Padres reach the postseason. In his second year with the team, his ERA went up, finishing at 4.55 over 32 starts.

His time with the Padres didn't end the way that either side would have hoped for, but he seems to be in a good place now. The same can't be said about the Padres' pitching staff.

San Diego has seen a revolving door of inconsistency take place within the starting rotation, with the group beginning to unravel as of late. There were real concerns around the group entering the season, and injuries have only added more stress across the roster.

The lack of quality starters has made life tough for the Padres to field a fully competitive team, and San Diego has seen itself fall in the standings over the last few weeks. With the trade deadline approaching, the Padres will have some questions to answer.

Losing Cease in the offseason was the first big domino to fall for the Padres, and the team hasn't been able to recover since. But if the Padres aren't careful, the 2026 season could spiral even more out of control, ending up being a fully wasted season that started with real potential.

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