Inside The Mets

Mets called top trade landing spot for much-discussed NL hurler

The New York Mets have been called a top potential trade destination for one of the National League's most reliable pitchers.

Grant Young

May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets logo on the sleeve of J.D. Martinez during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets logo on the sleeve of J.D. Martinez during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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One of the most common names that was rumored to be on the trading block throughout this MLB offseason is San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease.

It was widely reported that the New York Mets and Padres engaged in conversations about Cease potentially being traded to Queens. However, no deal was ever made, and Cease remains in San Diego for the start of the 2025 season.

A March 13 article from Jon Heyman of the New York Post conveyed that the reason San Diego ultimately didn't trade Cease this offseason is because they still view themselves as a contender in the National League, and therefore aren't willing to part ways with one of their top pitchers right now.

But if the Padres struggle to start the season or the Los Angeles Dodgers have distanced themselves from the rest of the NL West by the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Padres' sentiment could shift. This is what CBS Sports' Mike Axisa seemed to have in mind when deeming Cease a way-too-early trade deadline candidate in a March 19 article.

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"Normally I would say San Diego will have to fall out of the race for a trade to become a real possibility, though I'm not sure that's the case here. Money is obviously tight -- you only need to look at how Michael King's and Nick Pivetta's contracts are structured to see that -- and Cease will make a healthy $13.75 million in 2025, his final year of team control. Is there an avenue for the Padres to trade Cease for multiple younger and cheaper players? Yes," Axisa wrote.

"It didn't happen during the offseason, but sure, it's possible. I wouldn't say a trade is likely -- San Diego's best chance at returning to the postseason involves Cease taking the ball every five days -- but I won't take it off the table completely," he then added before listing the Mets and the Cubs as Cease's early potential landing spots.

Hopefully, the Mets' rotation has stayed healthy and performed well enough to where David Stearns isn't seeking major upgrades by the trade deadline. But if he is on the market for another arm, expect Cease's name to spring up.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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