The San Diego Padres are reportedly listening to trade offers for multiple star players this winter. This includes pitcher Dylan Cease as well as position players like Luis Arraez and Xander Bogaerts.
Cease might be the most intriguing option, though. His contract expires at the end of 2025, so there's a real chance the Padres consider trading him. He also has quite a lot of value. Cease could land the Padres a package of prospects or a solid return of big league talent.
Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer recently predicted Cease would be traded. But instead of Rymer projecting him to a large market team, he suggested Cease would be dealt to the Cleveland Guardians.
"Cease was the runner-up in the 2022 AL Cy Young Award voting and he finished fourth in the NL voting this year," Rymer wrote. "His ERA for the last four seasons is a sturdy 3.52, and it comes with 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. His pure stuff is among the best in the sport.
"If not for an established star, the Padres could probably swap Cease for a top-level prospect or two. Either way, they could use a trade to try to improve at catcher or in the outfield."
Trading Cease is a very difficult idea to wrap your head around. The Padres are trying to win and Cease helps them win. But trading him would allow them to continue to try to win in 2025 and well beyond.
The Guardians make a lot of sense for him as well. Without Shane Bieber last year, Cleveland didn't have a true ace atop its rotation. Swinging a trade for Cease changes that.
Cleveland could deal some big league-ready prospects, like Kyle Manzardo, to acquire Cease and potentially Arraez as well. It would take a haul, but it would push the Guardians closer to the American League Pennant in 2025.
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