San Diego Padres DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Free-agent left-hander Wandy Peralta and the San Diego Padres agreed to a four-year, $16.5 million deal on Wednesday that includes three opt-outs, according to sources. The deal is still pending a physical. Peralta got a bit lucky last year with the New York Yankees, posting a 2.83 ERA (5.05 FIP) and 1.22 WHIP with four saves, 30 walks and 51 strikeouts in 54 innings over 63 appearances out of the Yankees' bullpen. If Peralta wants to keep an ERA under 3.00 for the third straight season in 2024, the 32-year-old is going to need to show better control of his pitches. The veteran southpaw has a career strikeout rate of under 20 percent as well, so he relies on a high ground-ball rate to have success. Peralta will handle high-leverage relief innings in San Diego but probably won't see many save chances.

The Seattle Mariners have shown interest in trading for Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease. The 28-year-old is set to make eight million dollars this year and is poised to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. After excellent 2021 and 2022 seasons, Cease regressed and had an average performance in 2023 with a 4.07 expected ERA and 1.42 walks and hits per inning pitched. The Mariners had one of the best rotations a year ago, led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert, while youngster Bryan Woo showed flashes. If Cease could return to his old form, he would further bolster one of the league's better rotations.

Free-agent relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a minor-league deal on Friday, according to a source familiar with the deal. Edwards had a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings with the Washington Nationals last season. His deal with the Cubs includes an invitation to spring training. Edwards will be reuniting with the Cubs after breaking into the big leagues with them in 2015. He spent the first four seasons of his career in the Windy City before joining the San Diego Padres in 2019. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander will be attempting to make the Cubs' bullpen out of spring training to open the 2024 season, but he won't be anywhere near the fantasy radar. In his nine years in the majors, Edwards has gone 16-14 with a 3.54 ERA (3.71 FIP), 1.20 WHIP, seven saves and a 28.2 percent strikeout rate in 280 innings pitched over 295 relief appearances.

The New York Yankees and New York Mets are reportedly interested in free-agent relief pitcher Wandy Peralta. The 32-year-old pitched well for the Yankees last season, going 4-2 with four saves and 18 holds along with a 2.83 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 22.5% strikeout rate. The Yankees have maintained contact with Peralta over the offseason. He does not offer a ton of strikeout upside and will likely not see many save opportunities regardless of where he goes, but Peralta could be fantasy-relevant in saves-plus-holds leagues should he slot back into a middle-to-late-innings role.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease is believed to be staying put for now despite several teams interested in acquiring the right-hander. The White Sox have reportedly put a high price on the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up but rival clubs have yet to pony up to the current asking price. As a result, the club is likelier to hold onto Cease into the regular season and see if their price is met prior to the trade deadline. While the 28-year-old tossed a 2.20 ERA in 2022, he slipped to a 4.58 mark across 33 starts in the 2023 season while seeing regression in walk rate, strikeout rate, ground-ball rate, and home run rate. In 123 career starts across parts of five big-league seasons, Cease sports a 3.83 ERA alongside a 17.7% K-BB% in 658 innings pitched, making at least 32 starts in each of the last three seasons.