The Chicago Cubs are on a roll in the last leg of this offseason! After acquiring Ryan Pressly and Kyle Tucker from the Astros, they are now eying on the Padres pitcher Dylan Cease. What made this trading more interesting is that Cease was released by the Cubs in 2017. Hence, it is going to be a full-circle moment for Cease if he gets traded to the Cubs. It also proves the value created by Cease all these years in between that made the teams like Cubs interested in him. 

Cease is coming up with a 14-11 record and a 3.75 ERA from 2024 which is making the case interesting for him. He is currently in the last year of his contract with the Padres and will hit the free agency post-2025 season. Getting him can thus be an interesting prospect for the Cubs’ postseason plan. While the Cubs will benefit from his arrival, it is the Padres who will take the maximum hit. So, what made the Padres let go of Cease, and why the Chicago Cubs are behind him?

The Cubs got a chance here

The Padres are in utter chaos currently with turmoil going on among the owners. This took a toll on their team investment and buildup and reportedly the team was imposed with a payroll limit. The Padres sit at a $197.5 million payroll currently and urgently need a financial cushion to fill their pending roster gaps. The solution is to trade Dylan Cease and free up his pending $13.75 million pay for 2025 to get some low-cost rookies. Indeed a cost-saving move by the Padres and the Chicago Cubs are the leading team taking the most advantage here. 

The MLB Network reported how Cease is leading the chart with 130 starts since 2021. The Cubs are willing to take a chance due to this durability coming with Cease. For the unversed, Dylan Cease has the most SO in MLB since 2021 with 891. The addition of someone with such a stat can make the Chicago Cubs a formidable force. Now it’s all to the Padres if they are letting him go considering their vulnerable pitching squad. Their star performer Joe Musgrove is out with his Tommy John surgery and moving away from Cease will leave the Padres with only Michael King and Yu Darvish as the pitchers. 

Is Dylan Cease the right fit?

The Cubs are not only the favorite in landing Cease but they are also the right choice here. They have a deep rotation of pitchers including  Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Javier Assad. The addition of Cease will only strengthen their rotation for the postseason acts considering the grueling and long-going regular season. Hence, the Cubs’ fans have all the reason to smile with Dylan Cease starting the pitch and Imanaga and Boyd behind! 

The Cubs also got enough space financially to accommodate Cease in the team. They are still $241 million away from touching the luxury tax threshold and getting Cease for one year worth $13.75 million is a steal deal. However, with Cease about to hit free agency post-2025 season, the Cubs should be financially sound to face the competition then. The only challenge coming up with Dylan Cease is his inconsistent performance since 2019. For those unaware, Cease had a 3.83 ERA in 2022, which got worse in 2023 with 4.58 and now ended 2024 with 3.75. 

Apart from these positives and negatives, the addition of Cease is going to make the Chicago Cubs a true contender for the 2025 postseason, while time will answer if the Padres are going to leave him. A good dilemma to say the least! 

What do you think about the Cubs going for Cease? Let us know your views below.