With the 2025 MLB season quickly approaching, teams are beginning to iron themselves out with hopes of winning it all this year. That is a tall task for any team, but it has to be done by someone. For the Chicago Cubs, one more thing they could do this offseason is trade for starting pitcher Dylan Cease. Chicago has shown interest in adding another starter, and he’d be the best available if the San Diego Padres are willing to move him.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, Cease won’t come cheap from the San Diego Padres. In a trade proposal from Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer, he had the Cubs moving a haul to get Cease. His deal would see Chicago give up their No. 3 prospect in Moises Ballesteros and No. 6 prospect in Kevin Alcántara.

For the Cubs, another starter isn’t something they necessarily need, but it’d be a nice addition. With Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon, the front three has the potential to be lethal. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Cubs fans can breathe a sigh of relief because, with any trade, Heyman reported that Matt Shaw is “off limits.”

In this case, they could offer two prospects who don’t have a clear spot to play for the Cubs at the major league level right now. This is a win-win trade for both teams, as the Cubs could get another high-caliber starter while the Padres would get two elite prospects.