Red Sox Have 'No Intention' Of Trading This Gold Glover For Padres' Dylan Cease

If there's a Cease trade, it doesn't seem like this outfielder will be involved

Sep 7, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Chadd Cady-Imagn Images | Chadd Cady-Imagn Images

As spring training begins to heat up, the question around Fort Myers, Fla. is whether the Boston Red Sox are done adding to their roster.

Clearly, it's a fluid situation. As CEO Sam Kennedy referenced Monday, a team is never truly done tweaking the roster until the trade deadline. But after signing Alex Bregman to a $120 million deal last week, there's a growing sense that the Red Sox could be after more big-name additions.

Over the weekend, MassLive's Sean McAdam reported that the Red Sox had inquired about a trade for San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease, who is entering his final year before free agency. That understandably got fans worked up, whether they loved or hated Cease's fit for this team.

However, on Monday, one Red Sox beat reporter threw some cold water on the Cease rumors, though the move certainly hasn't been ruled out completely. Plus, there's apparently one young position player that Boston isn't willing to let go of just yet.

WEEI's Rob Bradford reported that not only is a Cease-Red Sox trade unlikely, but the team is unwilling to include 2024 Gold Glove outfielder Wilyer Abreu in such discussions.

"Per sources, Dylan Cease to the Red Sox is a long-shot," Bradford wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Sox have no intention of including Wilyer Abreu in any such deal."

Cease, 29, is undoubtedly an enticing arm to add, even if the Red Sox have a relatively deep rotation. He's stuck out over 200 batters in each of the last four seasons, the only major league pitcher to hold that distinction. In that time frame, he's racked up a pair of top-five Cy Young Award finishes.

But Abreu may still not be hitting his ceiling yet, and the Red Sox have him for five more years, while Cease would only be guaranteed to stay for one. That's a tough value proposition to reconcile, even with star prospect Roman Anthony getting ready to challenge for a starting outfield position.

As always, plenty of things could change based on one injury or a cold stretch at the plate. But for now, it certainly looks like Abreu will be staying put.

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