Padres' Dylan Cease turned his season around thanks to one change

Padres' Dylan Cease turned his season around thanks to one change originally appeared on The Sporting News

The San Diego Padres were heavily rumored to be trying to trade Dylan Cease at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. A deal with the Houston Astros wasn't close, but in the lead-up to the deadline, there was a lot of smoke. 

Cease has been better for the Padres as of late, and there's one change that Cease made recently that has sparked this turnaround. As Dennis Lin of The Athletic notes, Cease has been using his knuckle-curve more than he has all year.

"Across his first 22 starts," Lin writes, "Cease compiled a disappointing 4.79 ERA while throwing his knuckle-curve just 6.8 percent of the time. Since the deadline, he has more than doubled his usage of that pitch."

Cease has used his knuckle-curve 14.5 percent of the time over his last two starts, which have been some of his best this season.

Against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox, Cease went 11 innings combined, allowing two earned runs, three walks, five hits, and striking out 16 in the process of securing back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

His season ERA dropped to 4.52, still high, but trending in the right direction after a rough first 22 starts of the year. His 94 ERA+ is still the second-lowest of his career behind only his rookie year, but it's looking a lot more positive after this stretch.

MORE: Padres' Michael King gets encouraging contract extension update

The Padres need Cease to continue to pitch well, especially with Yu Darvish struggling this season, and the uncertain production of Nestor Cortes. 

Come the postseason, Cease, Michael King, and Nick Pivetta are likely to lead the starting rotation. While Cease doesn't go as deep into games as those two typically do, his strikeout prowess could make him an exciting starter come the postseason.

The Padres getting this version of Cease in the final year of his deal would be a huge boost for the team and Cease. A strong close to 2025 could lead to a big deal for Cease in the offseason, as well as a deep postseason run for the Padres.

Cease has turned things around over his last two starts, proving that holding onto him was the right decision. There's a lot more confidence in Cease now than there was before the trade deadline, and his increased knuckle-curve usage is partially to thank.

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