Dylan Cease DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Dennis Lin writes that the San Diego Padres' four-year, $55 million deal with right-hander Nick Pivetta could increase the chances that the team retains right-hander Dylan Case, at least through the end of spring training. Team and league sources indicated on Wednesday that the Padres are currently inclined to hang on to Cease, who will be a free agent after the 2025 season. Another team could still overwhelm the Padres with a trade offer for Cease, but as things stand now, closer Robert Suarez is much more likely to be traded. Suarez is owed $10 million this year and can opt out after the season. The Padres, who are still looking to trim payroll, think they could still have an effective bullpen if they traded Suarez. But with Joe Musgrove (elbow) out for all of 2025, their need for another proven starting pitcher was much more urgent, which is why they added Pivetta on Wednesday night.

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the New York Mets are unlikely to trade for San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease. Sammon noted that the Padres are looking for major-league talent along with prospects that the Mets may not want to part with. Last offseason, when the Padres traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, they acquired major-league talent such as Michael King and other prospects. While Cease will not warrant a package like Soto did, the Mets are unlikely to pay the cost to acquire the ace. The Mets may have to part ways with one of Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams, or Ronny Mauricio in a potential deal. Throughout the offseason, the Mets have made several improvements to their starting rotation, as they have brought in Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas and resigned left-hander Sean Manaea, who was their top arm down the stretch. The Mets will also welcome back a healthy Kodai Senga to operate as the top option in the rotation.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports that a team to watch in regards to San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease, who is on the trade market this offseason, is the Chicago Cubs. Both Cease and right-hander Michael King are on the trade block with the Padres facing payroll constraints in 2025, and Morosi goes on to say that Cease is more likely to be moved than King because Cease makes more money. The Cubs make plenty of sense as a trade partner for the Padres because they have seven of MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects, with six of them expected to make an impact at the big-league level this year. With Jurickson Profar recently departing via free agency, the Padres have a hole to fill in left field, so a trade of either Cease or King could bring back an outfielder that could fill that hole immediately. Morosi specifically mentions Owen Caissie as a possibility for the Friars.