When the San Diego Padres missed out on Roki Sasaki, it became clear that their backup plan would not be a popular one among the fanbase. Pete Seidler would’ve never stood for the teardown that is surely coming, but the late great owner also couldn’t have foreseen the family money grab that would occur after his unfortunate passing, and the impending lawsuit. The Padres are a mess, and thus can’t afford to pay much of their core as currently assembled.

The most attractive trade asset San Diego has at their disposal is Dylan Cease. Cease, who is entering the final year of his contract, is likely to leave the Padres next winter barring a timely solution to their ownership issue. The Pads best bet is to trade him at top value, which would be now given Cease would have a full season to contribute at a cheap asking price for a contender.

AJ Preller is reportedly fielding calls on Cease, who finished last season with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts. At his best, Cease is un-hittable and one of the best strikeout artists in the game.

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That makes the Cubs reported interest – however real it may be – all the more intriguing. Cease was once a Cubs top prospect before he was sent packing to the White Sox as part of the Jose Quintana trade. It would seem the Chicago front office has realized their mistake, and want a chance at redemption, even if it’s for one year only.

The issue for Chicago is the reported asking price for Cease, which per Jacob Zanolla of Cubs Insider is third base prospect Matt Shaw and then some.

Shaw is, as of this writing, the 19th-ranked prospect in all of baseball. He is also 23 years old and could be the starting third baseman for the Cubs on Opening Day if nothing changes between now and spring training. Cease is a difference maker in any rotation, but he could also be a one-year rental. Preller has every right to aim high, but the Cubs should not make that trade.

Shaw had an outrageous slash line in Triple-A Iowa, as he finished his 2024 season at .298/.395/.534 and a .929 OPS in 35 games. He’s clearly a big-league caliber bat, and if he can get it together defensively in the majors, he could be an All-Star level talent.

As talented as Cease is, the Padres need to lower their expectations if they expect to deal him before Opening Day.