Padres reporter proposes 2 blockbuster trades involving Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez

Ahead of the Winter Meetings, San Diego Padres reporter Derek Togerson put together a wish list of wild ideas that could shake up the offseason for the club — and while some could still be in play, moves around the league have ended hopes for many of his proposals.

Let's start with what's still on the table, at least theoretically. The first agenda item on his list? Extend three-time batting champ Luis Arráez, who is currently slated to hit free agency next winter. Arráez, who turns 28 next spring, slashed .314/.346/.392 and leading the league in hitting — despite playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb.

Padres reporter proposes 2 blockbuster trades involving Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez

San Diego has shown a willingness to spend, but there's more uncertainty in that regard since team owner Peter Seidler passed away earlier this year. Arráez wouldn't break the bank, though, given almost all his value comes from his bat-to-ball skills. He's a league-average defender, at best, no matter where you put him — and Togerson eyeballed a four-year, $50 million offer as a jumping off point in talks.

Togerson also proposed an extension for Michael King which, at least in my mind, should be the bigger focus of the two. After coming over in the Juan Soto trade with the New York Yankees, the right-hander made the jump to the rotation - and looked the part for the Padres. If I'm King, there's no chance I'm missing my chance at cashing in in free agency next winter, but if San Diego can get something done — do it.

The bigger focus of the piece explores the trade market — but given how things have shaken out, his proposals don't make a ton of sense. The first option looked at trading Dylan Cease and Jake Cronenworth to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas and top prospect Marcelo Mayer. But after Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow landed Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox and signed Walker Buehler, this is a move that doesn't seem to have legs — plus, we know Boston has no intention of coming off Mayer in a deal.

Speaking of Buehler, that was the third and final idea in the piece: bring in the Los Angeles fan favorite and turn him loose in the rotation against his former club. The one-year, $21.05 million deal he got from the Red Sox more than doubled what Togerson thought he'd get (one-year, $10 million with a 2026 mutual option) — so it doesn't seem like this would have worked even if he'd stuck on the market longer.

Still, there's a takeaway to be had in this piece: the Padres have options regardless of how the 2025 season plays out given several key contributors on expiring contracts. If things go sideways, San Diego could flip Cease, King and/or Arráez for long-term assets to help the club quickly re-tool and avoid any sort of lengthy rebuild — a 'no-no' for a franchise given the amount of high-dollar, win-now contracts on the books.

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