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The San Diego Padres seem bound to be one of the more aggressive teams at the trade deadline. San Diego is only a step behind the Los Angeles Dodgers right now. While the Dodgers battle injuries, the Padres could capitalize and close the gap by swinging a few big trades.
But there’s a chance the Padres take a different approach to the deadline.
ESPN’s Buster Olney recently reported that the Padres weren’t strictly looking to buy at the deadline. In fact, Olney mentioned Padres starter Dylan Cease as somebody who’s on the trade block at the moment.
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“A surprise name has emerged in the starting pitcher market: Dylan Cease, who will be eligible for free agency at year’s end,” Olney wrote. “Perception of other teams is that the Padres are intent on making a push for the playoffs and would use Cease to help fill other roster needs. Mets, AL East teams, Cubs among teams that have talked about him.”
A trade involving Cease could make sense for the Padres, but it would have to be in a buyer-to-buyer move.
A deal where Cease goes to the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Jarren Duran comes back to San Diego would make sense. The Padres would get the outfielder they’ve been chasing while the Red Sox would land a win-now pitcher to throw in their rotation.
But trading Cease to a team like the New York Yankees for a slew of unproven prospects doesn’t make sense at all.
If San Diego is going to trade its ace before he lands in free agency, the team is going to need to bring in a left fielder and then some for the deal to make sense.
But it’s possible, so keep an eye on Cease and the Padres.
More MLB: MLB Insider Reveals Cubs’ Expected Trade Deadline Approach
