The San Diego Padres continue to shock the baseball world ahead of the trade deadline on Thursday.
While rumors about it floated around throughout the month of July, MLB insider Bob Nightengale is now reporting the organization is looking to move on from Dylan Cease at the deadline.
“The Padres have been quietly shopping starter Dylan Cease for about a month for controllable players who can help them now – and also in the future,” wrote Nightengale.
“Controllable players” is the key part of that statement. It’s now clear the Padres do not believe they’ll be able to agree on a contract with Cease in the offseason, so San Diego is deciding to move on from him and get something in return.
However, most teams willing to acquire Cease aren’t going to have controllable players at the Major League level they’re willing to trade away. The Boston Red Sox may be the lone exception with outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.
It’s likely general manager A.J. Preller trades Cease for prospects, possibly those right on the doorstep of the big leagues. He would then flip them into a trade for a starting pitcher such as Mitch Keller or Sandy Alcántara, pitchers who have multiple years left on their current contracts.
Preller needs to be careful though as he doesn’t want to move on from Cease until he has a plan in place to replace him. The Padres are still in the thick of things for a wildcard spot, and one bad move could lead to them falling out of the race.
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