Red Sox reportedly interested in trading for SP Dylan Cease
Jon Morosi noted that Boston could pursue Cease if the organization is unable to land Corbin Burnes in free agency.
Add another starting pitcher to the lengthy list of arms the Red Sox are rumored to be interested in acquiring this offseason.
Right-hander Dylan Cease is reportedly on Boston’s radar, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Morosi noted that the Red Sox could especially try to pursue the 28-year-old (Cease turns 29 later this month) if they’re unable to sign fellow starter Corbin Burnes in free agency.
They’ve already missed out on Max Fried, who Morosi named alongside Burnes in his post on X. Fried reportedly agreed to sign with the New York Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million deal on Tuesday.
Cease started 33 games (tied for MLB lead) for the San Diego Padres in 2024, owning a 3.47 ERA over that span. He finished the season with a record of 14-11, 224 strikeouts, and a career-best 1.07 WHIP — and placed fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Additionally, Cease tossed 189 ⅓ innings — six more innings than Boston’s top starter in that category (Kutter Crawford, 183 ⅔). That number was good for the most innings pitched through his six-year MLB career.
Cease’s impressive season with the Padres came after a trade from the Chicago White Sox in March earlier this year, just before the start of the regular season. Despite playing for a lowly team in the White Sox, Cease made a name for himself as one of the league’s top starters. This helped land him with a contender in San Diego.
Why would the Padres put an arm like Cease on the market? The club is reportedly trying to shed payroll as it hopes to stay under the league’s luxury tax.
With one year of team control left, Cease will be in for a massive payday soon. He’s due to become a free agent after 2025.
Until then, the Red Sox would need to trade players in exchange for one year of Cease’s talents. Boston certainly has the assets in both the major and minor leagues to pull off a deal for Cease or any player they desire.
But is it worth giving up several prospects and/or MLB-level players for just one season of Cease? If Boston fails to sign Burnes, one of the top-tier starters they’ve reportedly been in on all winter, the organization may have no other choice. That is, if it indeed wants to upgrade its rotation and contend for the AL East.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said all offseason that the team must add starting pitching, whether it be through free agency or the trade market. The free agent class is thinning, and other teams around them are getting better by the day. The Red Sox may finally be forced to deal members of its farm system if they intend to keep true to their many promises to fans this winter.
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