Dylan Cease Gets Honest About Remaining With Padres After Trade Deadline

Jul 28, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease is still on the team after a chaotic MLB trade deadline despite getting interest from several teams, including the Houston Astros.

Cease is a pending free agent with an established reputation. He has several Cy Young caliber seasons and possesses one of the best pitches in the game — his slider.

When his command is firing, he has lights-out stuff, which becomes unhittable. Over the past few years though, he hasn't been able to control his pitches, leaving several people on base consistently.

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While his struggles appear often, he also shows glimpes of his best, which is still impressive.

The Padres are reportedly hesitant about paying the former ace given his inconsistency, making him a prime trade candidate for a pitcher-needy team.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller is known for being aggressive at the trade deadline, and many thought he would move Cease for another veteran or additional prospects to flip into another deal.

Despite the rumors, the Padres didn't trade him, and he got a chance to speak about his thoughs on remaining in San Diego.

“I’m very excited,” Cease told Jeff Saunders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. “We made a lot of — obviously — a lot of moves. We’ve got a stacked team now, so I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

This season, Cease has a 4.79 ERA through 118.1 innings pitched, posting an impressive 29.9 percent strikeout rate.

He has a 2.2 WAR and his fastball is up to 97.1 mph, the highest number of his career since 2020.

His walk rate is 9.2 percent, highlighting his issues with controlling his pitches.

If he can get his pitches under control, Cease could lead the Padres to a deep playoff run as a front-of-the-line starter.

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