Behind the frenzy of Alex Bregman's first few days at Boston Red Sox spring training and potential position change rumors for Rafael Devers, the Sox may still be trying to make moves to improve their roster.
Boston's pitching staff is the most improved aspect of the team after this offseason's work, featuring the additions of Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson and more. The Sox's trade for Crochet is arguably the blockbuster move of the offseason, and if recent rumors are correct, they may have another big trade up their sleeve.
Sean McAdam of MassLive reported on Feb. 16 that the Red Sox have been "in touch" with the San Diego Padres about a potential trade for starter Dylan Cease (subscription required). McAdam characterized Boston's interest as "due diligence" and more about monitoring the market than a definite, aggressive approach.
San Diego has spent aggressively in recent years, as Red Sox fans know well — its 11-year, $280 million deal to Xander Bogaerts blew Boston's offer out of the water. The Padres' TV deal also fell through in 2023 and their ownership has entered a legal dispute after the death of former principal owner, Peter Seidler.
Red Sox 'in touch' with Padres about (unlikely) trade for Dylan Cease
The going consensus now is that the Padres will hold onto Cease to keep their rotation strong for the upcoming 2025 slate. However, Cease is an impending free agent, and if San Diego isn't a playoff contender — a possibility after the Dodgers and Diamondbacks' offseason additions — he could become a trade candidate at this year's deadline. The Red Sox have a lot of new rotation depth they didn't have during their Wild Card chase last season, but if they get desperate for starters, Cease could be a quality option for the second half.
Cease posted a 3.47 ERA and a 1.067 WHIP with 224 strikeouts and 65 walks over 189.1 innings in his first season with the Padres in 2024. The righty tossed a no-hitter, the second in Padres history, on July 25 against the Nationals with a 114-pitch, nine-strikeout performance.
In other news, per sources, Dylan Cease to the Red Sox is a long-shot. Sox have no intention of including Wilyer Abreu in any such deal.
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) February 17, 2025
Cease has shown some inconsistency in his career — he went from second place in the American League Cy Young race in 2022 to posting a 4.58 ERA in 2023 — but he's always thrown strikeouts at a high clip. He's fanned 1016 batters in his 847.1 career innings of work, good for a rate of 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Rumors surfaced that the Padres were interested in trading for Wilyer Abreu, 2024 Rookie of the Year candidate and Gold Glove winner. Rob Bradford of WEEI crushed said rumors soon after they appeared, saying that the Red Sox have no intention of including Abreu in such a deal. Since Cease only has one year left of team control, trading the pre-arbitration contract of Abreu for him would be a high price to pay.
The Red Sox's farm system has more than enough talent to land a year or half a season of Cease before he hits free agency in 2026. If Boston's rotation thins by the second half of the season, it could pursue a trade for Cease to keep the pitching staff strong as it (hopefully) pushes for its first playoff spot in four years.