Cubs ready to surrender draft picks to Padres for Michael King or Dylan Cease

The MLB general manager meetings in Las Vegas have wrapped up, and there is a lot to take away from them. First off, congratulations to A.J. Preller and the Padres on defeating the Dodgers in pickleball to kick off the offseason.

But the main news to take away from the meetings is that one NL Central team may be going all in on two San Diego starting pitchers who have hit the open market. Both Dylan Cease and Michael King have been linked to the Cubs, but it seems as if Chicago front-office executives Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins may actually make this happen.

Cubs bracing for draft-pick hit in pursuit of Michael King and Dylan Cease

The Cubs view Dylan Cease as someone who can get outs by any means and that his game will play to their infield defense, which remains one of the best in baseball.

As for King, he is viewed as a starter with exceptional upside on the front end, and he will be cheaper than Cease. The only issue with King is that he is coming off a shoulder injury that limited him to only 15 starts in 2025.

The Cubs ended the Padres’ hopes of a World Series championship in the postseason, as they dropped the Wild Card Series to them 2–1. Now it’s starting to look as if they will also end their chances of re-signing King and Cease, with them being all in on the two front-line starters.

If we put ourselves in A.J. Preller’s shoes, it would be wise to make an effort to re-sign one of the two (King in particular). The starting rotation is set to undergo a massive change, with Nick Pivetta being the only returner who produced in 2025. 

The Padres have $47 million in available payroll to bring back one of the two, but as of now, all signs point to both Cease and King finding new homes in 2026.