The San Diego Padres finished the season a few steps behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the loaded National League West. San Diego hasn’t been able to keep up with the Dodgers over the last few years, and the gap between the two franchises could grow larger in the offseason.
The Padres have their top two pitchers sitting in free agency as Dylan Cease and Michael King’s contracts both expired at the end of the season. The Padres likely won’t be able to bring both pitchers back, which would push them in the wrong direction going forward.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently projected Cease would sign a massive seven-year deal that would pay him $175 million in total.
“He has great stuff (200 Ks five straight years) and practically unmatched durability (he leads MLB in starts since 2021), and there will be teams believing they can find consistency,” Heyman wrote.
The Padres likely won’t be able to retain Cease at a price tag like this. They’d be much better off chasing a new deal with the aforementioned King, who should sign for much less than Cease.
The Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox could all work as fits for the star righty.
Cease could sign a huge deal with any team that’s willing to give up well over $150 million for his services. He produces enough swing and miss to warrant such a large deal. When all the pieces are put together, Cease is one of the more dominant pitchers in baseball.
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