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The Cubs are among the teams that have discu sed right-hander with the Padres, . Theres no indication that the two sides are close to any sort of deal or that discu sions were anything more than exploratory. Cease, 29, has been bandied about the rumor mill for much of the winter as a payroll-crunched Padres club struggles to find ways to addre s myriad roster holes. A free agent following the 2025 season, Cease is slated to earn $13.75MM this year. Trading him for a controllable, lower-cost outfielder could affordably plug one lineup hole while also freeing Justin James Jersey up more than $13MM to backfill the rotation. Alternatively, the Friars could build a Cease deal around controllable, low-cost (and also le s-proven) rotation pieces and look to reallocate Ceases salary to a bat thats yet to find a home in free agency or a trade target in the outfield. The Padres have at least gauged interest in impending free agents like , and (signed through 2027 but with an opt-out next offseason) under similar rationale. The Cubs already have a deep rotation featuring , , , and . Free agent signee gives them a veteran sixth option, and Chicago has younger names like , and on the 40-man roster, with prospects and climbing the minor league ladder. Given that stock of arms, the Cubs dont nece sarily need another starting pitcher, but theres an argument that some of that depth and their impre sive stock of high-end position prospects could be condensed into a front-of-the-rotation arm like Cease. Morosi highlighted top outfield prospect as a potential piece of a Cease trade in an on-air segment this morning, albeit in fairly speculative fashion. Coupling Cai sie or another touted outfielder like with a controllable arm that lacks Ceases ceiling but could be a third or fourth starter (e.g. Wicks, A sad) could hold some appeal to a Padres club that lacks rotation depth, a clear left fielder or designated hitter, and has a shaky-at-best collection of options to fill out manager Mike Shildts bench. Anecdotally, a trade involving Cease and Cai sie would send each player back to their original organization; Cease was a sixth-round pick of the Cubs who was traded to the White Sox in exchange for , while Cai sie was a Padres second-rounder who went to the Cubs as part of the trade. Outfield is an area of depth for the Cubs, who have in left field, young in center and trade acquisition in right field. The acquisition of Tucker has pushed slugger into a primary DH role, though hell surely still see some corner time depending on injuries or off-days for other members of the outfield. Tucker is a free agent at seasons end, but Happ and Suzuki are both signed through 2026 while Crow-Armstrong can be controlled all the way through 2030. Both Cai sie and Alcantara are generally viewed as MLB-ready pieces who could step into the majors as soon as this season after posting big seasons in the upper minors in 2024. (Alcantara made a brief MLB debut late in 24 already.) Infielder and fellow top prospect also got a bit of work in the outfield in 2024. Hes on the cusp of his MLB debut as well. The circumstances surrounding a potential trade of Cease are fairly similar to those of one year ago. While Cease has had a bit more volatility in terms of year-over-year results and doesnt have a Cy Young Award to his credit, hes a top-end starter with a relatively reasonable salary and one season of club control remaining. Hes unlikely to sign an extension, as was the case with Burnes, but could net a new team a draft pick if and when he rejects a qualifying offer next winter. That holds some inherent value and helps to offset the prospect lo s required to pry Cease loose in a trade. The Orioles sent two MLB-ready players whod garnered top-100 fanfare infielder and lefty to the Brewers along with a 2024 competitive balance draft pick (No. 34 overall). That was a steep price to pay, and perhaps Ceases value isnt quite to that same level, but it shouldnt be far off. At the very least, it provides a rough blueprint for what San Diego could reasonably seek in exchange for a power-armed 29-year-old who landed second in 2022 American League Cy Young voting. Payroll-wise, the Cubs have more than enough space to add Ceases salary while still remaining comfortably south of the $241MM luxury threshold and leaving space for in-season acquisitions. Chicago at a bit more than $207MM in luxury obligations after their recent acquisition of , giving them about $34MM of cushion between their current standing and that tax barrier. Reggie Theus Jersey |
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发表于 2026-3-17 16:10:34