MLB.com’s top Padres trade deadline chip is a wild contradiction

In MLB.com's latest article, a team of writers picked one intriguing trade chip for each team at the deadline. While the Padres have plenty of players both in the majors and in their minor league system who could make great trade chips, MLB.com chose Dylan Cease as the Padres' most intriguing option. It's a wild contradiction to the Padres' current position. Sitting just a game back of the Dodgers in the NL West, San Diego is likely going to be gearing up for a playoff run. Why would they trade one of their top pitchers?

"This one’s a bit of a stretch. The Padres need Cease. Their rotation is thin," writes AJ Cassavell for MLB.com.

He is correct. The Padres have multiple starters on the injured list, and while Cease has not been pitching like an ace this year, he has still been reliable. Cassavell admits that the Padres need Cease, so why discuss the possibility of a trade?

Cassavell went on to speculate that San Diego might not want to go into the offseason with both Cease and fellow starter Michael King entering free agency. If King and Yu Darvish are healthy and pitching well by the deadline, the Padres could theoretically trade Cease to free up money to spend on a King extension or to add to the outfield midseason.

However, it still does not feel like a Cease trade would make much sense unless the Padres have fallen significantly behind the Dodgers in the playoff race. If San Diego has any chance of capturing a division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs, it would not make sense to trade one of the team's most consistent and reliable starters.

Actively hurting the team in the middle of a playoff race feels contradictory, and would raise questions about how dedicated to winning the team is.

Additionally, trading Cease now might not fetch a valuable return for the former ace. Cease has a 1-5 record in 2025, with a 4.72 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 13 starts. He's still striking out batters at an elite rate, with 85 punch-outs in 68 innings of work. However, Cease has not been as dominant as usual.

Because he's not having a career year, Cease will probably be easier to resign this offseason if they want to bring him back. San Diego could likely sign Cease for 80 cents on the dollar unless his stats get significantly better as the year goes on.

If San Diego does not intend to bring Cease back after 2025, it still does not make much sense to trade him at the deadline, unless the team is getting significant value back for him. Even if Cease is not an ace, the Padres will need healthy arms down the stretch, and Cease can provide valuable innings in September and October.

The only reason to trade Cease would be if the Padres can get a significant return for him and do not plan to extend or resign him in the offseason. However, unless Cease turns things around, it feels unlikely that the Padres will get much in return for an expensive, struggling starting pitcher on an expiring contract. And if San Diego wants any chance to sign him for cheap this offseason, it would be best to keep him around.