Padres Predicted to Make Blockbuster Trade With NL Powerhouse by MLB Insider

The San Diego Padres opened their season with a come-from-behind 7-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.

Opening Day starter Michael King struggled on the mound, allowing three earned runs and lasting just 2.2 innings. However, his offense picked him up in a late-innings comeback.

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Dylan Cease is taking the mound for the Padres on Friday, and will look to get San Diego to 2-0 on the year. Cease was widely expected to be the Opening Day starter in his second season with the team, but King got the nod due to scheduling.

King and Cease are headlining a rotation that is expected to be a strength for San Diego in 2025. However, with the season just getting underway, one MLB insider still believes one of them gets moved before the deadline.

In a mailbag article for SNY, insider Andy Martino was asked if he believes the New York Mets would make a move for a high-end starter this year. His response was a simple "yes."

Martino was also asked who he believed would be the Mets' ace at the end of the season.

His response: "Dylan Cease or Michael King."

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Martino is predicting the Padres and Mets to combine for a blockbuster trade before the deadline. Both King and Cease were involved in trade rumors all offseason long as they each can enter free agency at the end of the season.

Cease, 29, will hit free agency at the end of this season after making $13.75 million on the year. King, also 29, has a $15 million mutual option with the Padres for 2026 that will almost certainly be declined barring anything unforeseen.

Cease, who's set to make nearly double what King is making year, always felt like the more likely trade candidate. The right-hander has made at least 32 starts in each of the last four years, and is coming off a 2024 season in which he finished fourth in National League Cy Young award voting with a 3.47 ERA across 189.1 innings pitched.

King, on the other hand, shined in his first full year as a starter, sporting a 2.95 ERA across 173.2 innings pitched with 201 strikeouts. He finished seventh in Cy Young award voting.

Even for half a season, both pitchers would net the Padres a considerable haul if they're moved. However, it's difficult to imagine San Diego moving either of them if they're in the thick of a playoff race and feel as if they can win the World Series in 2025.

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.