Dylan Cease could be on the move before the 2025 MLB trade deadline.
That shocking news hit on Wednesday, as ESPN's Buster Olney reported the San Diego Padres might try to get creative as they attempt to compete down the stretch. The Padres have a number of pressing needs as the deadline approaches, with left field and catcher at the top of the list. Given their financial situation, moving some salary while making additions makes a lot of sense.
Cease has ace-level stuff, but has struggled this season. After finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024, he has been a different pitcher in 2025. Through 21 starts, the 29-year-old is 3-10 with a 4.59 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP and 144 strikeouts against 42 walks in 113 2/3 innings. The one thing to note here is that Cease's xFIP is 3.30, meaning he's gotten pretty unlucky this year.
The Padres are set to lose Cease at the end of the season as he'll hit free agency. They could, instead, leverage his value given the lack of available starting pitching at this year's deadline and hope a team will bank on Cease's bad luck turning around, or their staff making minor tweaks. San Diego could then use assets acquired to help improve their roster for the stretch run.
What follows is a look at the best fits for Cease as we approach the trade deadline.
Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd have been excellent for the Cubs this season, but there remains a Justin Steele-sized hole in the rotation. As a group, the team's starters rank 13th leaguewide in ERA (3.93) and have allowed the third-most home runs (87). Chicago needs to add juice to the starting rotation, and the organization knows Cease intimately. The Cubs selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB draft and Cease wound up being a top prospect before the club dealt him to the Chicago White Sox as part of the ill-fated Jose Quintana trade.
This would be a chance for the Cubs to land Cease back on the North Side to help the team's starting pitching depth as they make a push for an NL Central crown.
New York Yankees
The Yankees' focus is sure to be finding a third baseman, but the pitching also needs help. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have carried the starting rotation this season with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt out after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil is close to a return, but the rest of the team's starters have been shaky at best and awful at worst. As a group, New York's starters rank seventh in ERA (3.74) but they don't have the rotation depth to win a World Series.
Cease has the kind of elite stuff that can show up in October. While he struggled in the 2024 postseason, his average fastball velocity (97.1 mph) ranks fifth in MLB among starting pitchers and his slider was one of the best pitches in baseball in 2024. A few tweaks could have him dominating hitters again.
New York Mets
The Mets have a really good rotation, led by Kadai Sengal and David Peterson with Sean Manaea healthy again to back them up. But they also have a ticking time bomb on their hands. Converted reliever Clay Holmes has already thrown 108 2/3 innings, which is 38 2/3 more than his previous career high of 70. He has been really good this season, posting an 8-5 record with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. But so far in July he has an ERA of 5.66, and has surrendered 13 earned runs on 21 hits in 20 2/3 innings. He could be hitting a wall.
If Holmes continues to struggle, New York needs to find another option for the stretch run. Frankie Montas is back, but he has a 4.62 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP this season through five starts. His last two starts have been better but he's risky. Adding another starter feels like a must for the Mets.
Toronto Blue Jays
Like the Mets, the Blue Jays look solid on the surface, with Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman leading the rotation. But if you look under the hood, the team's starters rank 24th in ERA (4.53). Max Scherzer (5.14 ERA) was sidelined for months thanks to a thumb injury and has yet to look ready for primetime, and Eric Lauer (2.80 ERA) is a low-ceiling lefty who has had some success this season but his 3.82 xFIP says he's getting incredibly lucky.
Cease would be a high-ceiling arm that could add the depth to the rotation Toronto has struggled to find a year.