As the 2025 MLB season approaches, with Opening Day set for tomorrow, March 27, Dylan Cease remains a hot name in trade talks. The San Diego Padres’ ace, set to hit free agency after the season, is coming off a stellar 2024 campaign where he posted a 14-11 record, a 3.47 ERA, and 224 strikeouts over 189.1 innings, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting. With Cease projected to land a five-year, $108 million deal in free agency, the Padres face a tough decision: trade him now for a haul or risk losing him for nothing. For the New York Yankees, who are reeling from injuries to their rotation, Cease could be the key to getting back to the World Series—but at what cost?
The Padres’ motivation to trade Cease is clear. A.J. Preller has been listening to offers, and with Cease unlikely to re-sign in San Diego due to financial constraints—the team is already navigating payroll issues amid an ownership lawsuit—they’d rather get value now. A trade could net them multiple top prospects, bolstering their farm system for the future while shedding Cease’s $13.75 million salary for 2025. The Padres came within one win of the NLCS last year, but with roster holes in the outfield and rotation (Joe Musgrove is out for 2025 after Tommy John surgery), keeping Cease might not align with a potential step-back season.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are in desperate need of pitching help. Gerrit Cole will miss all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Luis Gil is sidelined with a lat strain for several months. While they’ve added Max Fried to the rotation, the Yankees’ depth is thin—Clark Schmidt is dealing with shoulder issues, and the team can’t afford another season of uncertainty if they want to rebound from their 2024 World Series loss to the Dodgers. Cease, with his proven durability (30-plus starts in each of the last four seasons) and All-Star caliber stuff, would slot in as their ace alongside Fried, giving them a fighting chance to reclaim the AL.
Here’s the proposed trade: the Yankees would get Cease, while the Padres receive outfielder Spencer Jones and shortstop George Lombard Jr. Jones, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, is a 23-year-old with 70-grade power and speed but a high strikeout rate (37.2% in Double-A last year), making him a high-risk, high-reward piece. Lombard Jr., their No. 5 prospect, is an 19-year-old with plus speed and defensive potential but a raw bat, projecting as a long-term project. For the Padres, this package offers two high-upside talents to rebuild their farm, which was depleted after trades for Cease and Juan Soto in recent years. For the Yankees, Cease provides immediate impact, and with their financial might, they could extend him post-2025, pairing him with Cole and Fried for a formidable rotation in 2026.
But there’s a catch. The Yankees have been reluctant to part with top prospects like Jones and Jasson Dominguez in past trade talks, and this deal would require them to budge. The Padres, holding leverage as contenders who don’t need to trade Cease, could demand more—perhaps a third piece like pitcher Will Warren or infielder Jorbit Vivas, as suggested in similar trade proposals floating around. On the flip side, the Yankees might hesitate to go all-in for a one-year rental, especially with Cease’s value potentially peaking at the trade deadline when demand for pitching often spikes. Posts on X reflect this tension, with some fans skeptical of the Padres’ willingness to deal, like one user stating, “Dylan Cease is not for sale,” while others see the Yankees as a natural fit given their need.
The Padres’ stance is murky. They’ve scouted teams like the Yankees, Mets, and Orioles, indicating they’re open to offers, but Preller has historically preferred to keep his rotation intact, especially after coming so close to a deep playoff run last year. Cease himself has taken the rumors in stride, saying at Padres FanFest, “You just focus on the task at hand… It’s just part of the business.” The Yankees, for their part, might opt for a cheaper alternative like Sonny Gray or Erick Fedde, as some analysts have suggested, rather than gutting their farm for Cease.
This trade makes sense on paper—Cease fills a glaring need for the Yankees, and the Padres get two promising prospects to aid their retooling efforts. But both teams have reasons to hesitate: the Yankees don’t want to overpay for a rental, and the Padres might still fancy their chances in the NL with Cease leading the rotation. As Opening Day looms, the clock is ticking for a deal to materialize—but if the Yankees want to make a serious run in 2025, Cease might be the difference-maker they can’t afford to pass up.
