Since the San Diego Padres are now entertaining Dylan Cease trade talks, a crowded group of suitors should emerge.
Few people would expect the Minnesota Twins to include themselves in this high-profile sweepstakes, especially given their exceedingly conservative approach to the offseason. But they are indeed a team to monitor in this league-wide Cease pursuit.
“Last week, The Athletic reported the Twins inquired about Cease when discussing potential trades with the San Diego Padres earlier this winter,” Dan Hayes of The Athletic writes. “Multiple team sources confirmed the club’s interest in Cease, a free agent after the 2025 campaign who has finished in the top four of the Cy Young Award voting twice in the past three seasons.”
Minnesota continues to rely on an oft-injured core group of position players that includes Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda, so adding more star power to the top of the starting pitching rotation is a practical idea.
After falling four games short of an American League Wild Card slot, the Twins could view Cease as their postseason propellant. He will not come cheap, though.
“Increased chatter in the industry over the past few days suggests the Padres have discussed trades for Cease and fellow starting pitcher Michael King,” Hayes said. “The Padres, seeking to remain competitive, are asking for significant major-league value in exchange for Cease, a factor that makes a deal far less likely, according to industry sources briefed on their discussions.”
Can the Twins take advantage of the Padres’ capricious tendencies?
Last offseason, the Padres straddled the line between being financially responsible and building a viable roster for the 2024 MLB campaign.
They traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees for multiple players who could make an immediate impact at the big-league level, including pitcher Michael King. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller also acquired fellow right-hander Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. Those moves paved the way for a roaring comeback.
San Diego’s bolstered starting rotation added essential balance to the roster and resulted in a playoff berth. The Friars entered October as one of the most dangerous clubs in the field, poised to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers and vie for their first-ever World Series championship.
Ultimately, though, they endured a crushing National League Division Series defeat and watched their detested foe win it all a few weeks later. Now, management finds itself in a pickle.
The Cease and King acquisitions went a long way in reviving the Padres, but they did not catapult them above the Dodgers.
Their market value rose, while the team still finished well short of its goal. Much like the Soto trade, the organization could be compelled to part ways with looming contract situations after failing to capture a title. The Twins, another franchise that has focused on cutting payroll in recent years, is an unlikely candidate to capitalize.
And yet, they are right in the mix for one of the more talented arms in the game today.
Minnesota can do a 180
New general manager Jeremy Zoll could resume his chase for Dylan Cease. The 29-year-old posted a 3.47 ERA, 224 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP in 189 1/3 innings and threw a no-hitter in July.
He can form a superb one-two punch with 2023 All-Star Pablo Lopez.
Twins fans will not hold their breath, however. The organization has to win back some trust. Trading for and extending Cease could potentially accomplish exactly that.
