The Royals' extension for Seth Lugo makes Dylan Cease the most coveted pitcher on the market at the MLB trade deadline.
The San Diego Padres may be holding the trump card in the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline now that the Kansas City Royals have signed Seth Lugo to an extension.
With one of the top pitchers thought to be available at the deadline securing his future in Kansas City, San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease is now likely to be the most highly coveted arm.
MLB insider Jon Heyman recently reported that six teams have shown interest in Cease, a 29-year-old who has made at least 32 starts in every season since 2021. That list includes the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs.
Cease's numbers are down this season, although his advanced metrics are more indicative of his career standards. He has a 4.59 ERA, but he is striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings, ranking in the 94th percentile among pitchers.
Cease is in the final year of his contract, so the Padres could be motivated to flip the right-hander for prospects if they don't plan to re-sign him. The Padres are 57-49 -- four games behind the Dodgers in the National League West. They are currently one game ahead of the Reds in the race for the final wild card berth.
The Padres have a 2025 payroll of $208,909,333, which ranks ninth in baseball.
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