3 far cheaper options who can seamlessly replace Dylan Cease with Padres

The San Diego Padres didn’t just miss out on Dylan Cease, they watched the exact line of their comfort level get drawn in permanent marker.

Seven years and $210 million with deferrals was always going to be too rich for a team already tied up in long-term money. The Padres might need a frontline starter, but they don’t need another contract that could clog the books well into the next competitive window.

The good news? There are still paths to replacing Cease’s production without paying for his name value. If A.J. Preller is willing to live in the uncomfortable middle of the market — shorter deals, bounce-backs, and trades for “imperfect” arms, San Diego can rebuild the top and middle of the rotation at a fraction of Cease’s price.

Here are three far cheaper options who could help seamlessly replace what the Padres were hoping to get from Cease.

3 cheaper pitching options who could replace Dylan Cease for the Padres

Zac Gallen

On talent alone, Zac Gallen is exactly the type of pitcher the Padres wish they could drop in behind their current staff: a former Cy Young finalist with true No. 1 upside when he’s right.

After a down 2025, though, Gallen is unlikely to command a Gerrit Cole–esque megadeal. That opens the door for a front office like San Diego’s, which desperately needs ceiling but can’t justify another decade-long commitment. A short-term, high-AAV “prove-it” contract could make sense for both sides.

He’s not a consolation prize. He’s a different route to the same goal. 

Drew Rasmussen

Any time you’re looking for controllable pitching, you scroll the Rays’ depth chart almost out of habit. Drew Rasmussen is the exact type of arm they’ve flipped before: productive, relatively affordable, and getting close enough to payday that Tampa Bay’s front office starts wondering how to turn one pitcher into three prospects.

Rasmussen’s 2025 breakout — finishing in the top 10 in ERA among qualified starters — is no fluke profile-wise. He attacks the zone, misses bats, and has the kind of repertoire that holds up multiple times through the order.

Plug him into the rotation and you’re not chasing him to be an ace, you’re asking him to stabilize things, soak up innings, and let the offense and bullpen do their jobs.

Zack Littell

Every rotation needs its workhorses, the guys who don’t have to dominate to matter. Zack Littell fits perfectly as the kind of pitcher who can make a staff function over 162 games.

Projected at roughly $10 million annually, Littell is a cost-effective way to fortify the back end of the rotation. The profile is pretty clear.

Littell isn’t coming in to be the new Dylan Cease — he’s the glue guy who helps the whole thing hold together. His calling card is elite command, posting one of the stingiest walk rates in the league in 2025. He’ll challenge hitters and surrender his share of home runs, but that risk looks a lot smaller when there aren’t many runners on base.

The Padres were never going to match the Blue Jays offer for Cease, and honestly, they shouldn’t. What they can do is spread money across multiple arms and build a rotation that’s deeper, not just louder on paper.