Padres' Dylan Cease 'Almost Certainly Gone' in Free Agency, Says Insider

Dylan Cease has been the center of San Diego Padres’ trade rumors for several months now. He made it through the offseason without being traded and remained in the Padres rotation through the first half of the season.

Cease will become a free agent at the end of the season. It would be wise for San Diego to cash in on the right-hander now rather than lose him in the free agent market.

But whether he is traded at the deadline or signs with another team as a free agent, MLB insider Dennis Lin said is “almost certainly gone."

Lin said every team could use a starting pitcher like Cease, and his agent Scott Boras has been involved in multiple major trades like the Juan Soto trade to the Padres in 2022. He has also negotiated lucrative free agent deals like Soto's record-breaking 15-year, $750 million deal with the New York Mets.

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Cease has logged a 4.62 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 18 starts. He has not performed as well as he did when he posted a 3.47 ERA in his first season with San Diego in 2024. However, he has shown glimpses of the pitcher that finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting last season.

The Padres currently have a four-man rotation and four starting pitchers on the injured list. Right-handers Yu Darvish and Ryan Bergert are expected to return in July but San Diego only has one more spot in the rotation.

Trading Cease at the deadline would open a spot for both Darvish and Bergert once they return, while also giving the Padres a chance to fill in some holes in their roster.

The Padres need a left fielder after signing Jason Heyward to a one-year deal this offseason did not play out how they hoped. Landing a left fielder with a strong bat would be ideal so that Gavin Sheets can be moved to their full-time designated hitter.

San Diego is in the middle of a tight NL Wild Card race.

If the Padres want another shot at a postseason run, it is crucial they find those missing puzzle pieces at the deadline. Parting ways with Cease now might be the perfect way to do that before he gets the chance to sign with another team.

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