Report: Padres' Cease emerges as potential trade chip
Published
The San Diego Padres have reportedly added an interesting name to the trade market ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 31.
ESPN's Buster Olney reports that starting pitcher Dylan Cease is being dangled as a trade chip as the Padres seek to improve their roster for a playoff push.
Cease, 29, has struggled in his second season with the Padres, pitching to a 4.64 earned-run average and a 3-9 record with 139 strikeouts over 108.2 innings.
The hard-throwing righty is pitching on a one-year deal and is eligible for free agency next season, and though he has struggled this year, he has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting twice in the last four seasons - including a fourth-place finish a year ago, where he held a 3.47 ERA with 224 strikeouts.
The Padres enter play on Wednesday at 55-46, second in the National League West and in control of the third wild-card slot in the NL, and Olney reports that the team would like to use Cease to fill other roster needs.
Olney identified the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and multiple American League East teams as potential trade partners. The Baltimore Orioles were specifically named, with veteran righty Charlie Morton a potential target for the Padres in a deal.