Rumored Dylan Cease destination would add insult to injury for Padres' 2026 season

Dylan Cease was excellent against the Cubs in Game 2 of the NLWC, as the right-hander went 3.2 scoreless innings before turning it over to the bullpen en route to the lone win for San Diego in the postseason. What was a short but solid performance may have turned out to be an audition, as reports are surfacing of a certain team becoming a potential suitor for the 29-year-old.

Evan Massey of Athlon Sports predicts the Chicago Cubs, the team that bounced the Padres from the postseason, to be in the mix for Dylan Cease. It’s a move that would make perfect sense, as Chicago has the available payroll as well as a need for starting pitching.

Dylan Cease linked to Cubs in rumor that stings Padres’ 2026 outlook

In a rotation that saw a plethora of changes throughout the season, the Cubs managed to make noise in the postseason without their ace, Justin Steele, in the lineup, as he went down with Tommy John surgery in April. The team also saw the emergence of Cade Horton in the second half of the season, as well as Matthew Boyd stepping up into the role of the team’s No. 1.

Chicago also saw Colin Rea step up big time in the absence of Steele, as what was supposed to be a bullpen addition turned out to put up solid numbers at the back end of the rotation. However, Rea is set to hit free agency, and all signs point to Jed Hoyer and the front office not re-signing him.

If this were to become a reality, it would actually be a reunion between the Cubs and Cease, as they were the team that drafted him back in 2014. But they later traded him across town to the White Sox in a package that included José Quintana.

Ever since being traded, Cease has haunted the Cubs in the eight times he has faced them, posting a 2.47 ERA over 47.1 innings. It would make sense for Hoyer and the front office to want him back at Wrigley Field.