Red Sox reportedly inquired Padres about possible trade for their ace

Dylan Cease, a two-time All-MLB second-team pitcher, has been rumored to be on the trade market as he enters the final year of his contract.

Padres ace Dylan Cease has been one of the game's best pitchers over the last three years. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

February 17, 2025

2 minutes to read

After acquiring a pair of All-Star starting pitchers earlier in the offseason, the Red Sox are possibly interested in adding another.

The Red Sox have “been in touch” with the Padres about a possible trade for ace Dylan Cease, MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported. The Red Sox’ negotiations were characterized as “due diligence” at the moment, McAdam added in his report.

Cease has been one of the game’s top pitchers over the last few seasons, posting a 3.40 ERA since 2022. He’s also recorded two top-five Cy Young finishes in that stretch, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting when he was the White Sox in 2022 before a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting in 2024.

The 29-year-old Cease is entering the final year of his contract. The Padres have also been cutting payroll since the passing of long-time owner Peter Seidler in November 2023 as there’s been a battle for the controlling stake of the team.

As Cease could become expendable, though, trading for him likely wouldn’t come cheap. The Padres gave up three of their top 10 prospects (No. 5 RHP Drew Thorpe, No. 7 OF Samuel Zavala, No. 8 RHP Jairo Irairte, per MLB Pipeline) to acquire Cease from the White Sox last year. Thorpe was also ranked 85th in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects at the time of the trade.

Using MLB Pipeline’s most recent prospect rankings, a comparable package for the Red Sox would include SS Yoeilin Cespedes, RHP Luis Perales, and RHP David Sandlin. McAdam noted that Wilyer Abreu could be the centerpiece of a possible deal for Cease. Abreu had a strong rookie season in 2024, hitting .253 with 15 homers and a .781 OPS. The 25-year-old outfielder also has five years left of team control.

Additionally, Cease is represented by Scott Boras, who typically has his best players hit the open market. Cease also isn’t expected to sign an extension, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.

The Red Sox aren’t in desperate need of pitching help. They traded for All-Star Garrett Crochet following his breakout season and signed former Dodgers star Walker Buehler in December. They also added Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval, who won’t be ready to start the year as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.

Those moves have caused the Red Sox to float the possibility of starting the year with a six-man rotation. After the team landed Alex Bregman, Alex Cora hinted that some more moves might be on the way.

“We talked about winning the last few years, a thing that we haven’t done,” Cora told reporters on Saturday. “I think the front office talked — we talked as an organization at the end of the season last year, and (concluded) we need to be more aggressive in the offseason and execute.

“So far, we’ve done a good job. We haven’t stopped, though. We aren’t done yet, we’re still trying to improve the roster which is the most important thing. I think the guys in the clubhouse, they understand that.”