MLB Trade Rumors: Cubs Among 'Teams to Watch' for Dylan Cease amid Padres Talks

Even though the San Diego Padres already have Dylan Cease under contract for 2025 after the two sides avoided arbitration, the veteran right-hander is a hot topic in trade talks with spring training on the horizon.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi (starts at :45 mark), the Chicago Cubs were cited as a team to watch in the Cease market because of the depth of high-end talent in their farm system that is in the upper-levels of the minors right now.

Cease agreed to a $13.75 million contract with the Padres on Jan. 9. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2025 season, which is one reason San Diego is at least exploring his value right now.

Another reason, as Morosi pointed out, is the Padres are "bumping up against" their payroll limit being imposed by ownership. It's unclear exactly what the figure is, but their current payroll for the upcoming season sits at $197.5 million.

By comparison, the Padres ran a $170.9 million payroll in 2024. There is also an ongoing dispute about control of the franchise in the wake of Peter Seidler's death in November 2023.

Sheel Seidler, Peter's widow, filed a lawsuit earlier this month against two of her late husband's brothers to become the control person for the Padres. The lawsuit accuses Robert and Matthew Seidler of "fiduciary breaches of trust, fraud, conversion and egregious acts of self-dealing" in their roles as trustees and executors of Peter's estate.

Even though the Cubs haven't been playing in the deep end of the free-agent pool this offseason, their front office has kept busy by making trades. Most of their moves so far have been with the Houston Astros, landing Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly in separate trades.

Playing for the Cubs would be something of a full-circle moment for Cease. He was originally drafted by the club in 2014 before being dealt to the Chicago White Sox three years later in a midseason trade as part of a package for José Quintana.

Cease has been an inconsistent player since making his MLB debut in 2019, but his ceiling is as high as any pitcher in the big leagues. He has two top-five finishes in Cy Young voting in the past three years, including a second-place showing in 2022.

The Padres acquired Cease from the White Sox in March 2024. He posted a 3.47 ERA with 224 strikeouts in 189.1 innings last season. His durability is also a huge asset, as he leads all pitchers with 130 starts since 2021.

Adding Cease would give the Cubs a proven frontline starter to pair with Shōta Imanaga as they look to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

San Diego's pitching depth isn't as strong going into 2025 with Joe Musgrove out for the year after having Tommy John surgery in October. Trading Cease would create even more problems for the rotation, leaving Michael King and Yu Darvish as the only reliable options.

While that would be a dilemma for the big-league club, trading Cease would allow the Padres to restock a farm system that The Athletic's Keith Law ranked as the sixth-worst in MLB going into this season.