Inside The Mets

MLB insider lists potential Mets trade package for Padres ace Dylan Cease

MLB insider Jon Heyman recently listed a potential trade package the New York Mets could offer the San Diego Padres for Dylan Cease.

Troy Brock

Oct 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) leaves the field while playing the Los Angeles Dodgers during game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium.
Oct 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) leaves the field while playing the Los Angeles Dodgers during game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
In this story:

The New York Mets have done little to improve their starting rotation heading into 2025, but an MLB insider recently listed a package the team could offer the San Diego Padres for ace Dylan Cease.

As pitchers and catchers have now reported across all of baseball, the Mets still cling to the weakest starting rotation of the big three in the National League East. While the Philadelphia Phillies boast Zack Wheeler as one of their four aces, and the Atlanta Braves are not far behind with Spencer Strider set to return from injury early in the season, the Mets have... Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga?

While Senga is expected to return to a full workload this year after missing most of 2024 due to injuries and pitching only 5.1 innings in the regular season, that is a tall ask for any hurler. The next best option is Manaea, who had the best season of his career in 2024 but could come crashing back to Earth this year after posting a lot of blue on his Baseball Savant page.

Can the Mets trade for Dylan Cease?

The Mets has been linked with the Padres for their ace Dylan Cease, who has been on the trade block this winter; Cease is entering the last year of his contract, and the Padres do not plan on extending him. The addition of Nick Pivetta earlier in the week certainly makes things more interesting: this could indicate San Diego is bolstering their rotation for 2025, but it could also be a contingency plan for the departures of Cease and Michael King.

Read more: Padres’ Nick Pivetta move could mean Mets unlikely to land Dylan Cease

Not everyone has ruled out the possibility of Cease still being moved ahead of the season, and MLB insider Jon Heyman listed a potential package the Mets could offer the Padres for the ace in an article for the New York Post.

"The Padres are believed to like talented infielder Luisangel Acuña," writes Heyman, "who played brilliantly upon his late-season call-up, plus right-handed pitchers Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, among others. Sproat is the gem with his big arm, and Acuña’s value rose after that stunning late performance. McLean is a former two-way player with big stuff, and Tong is producing eye-popping numbers."

Sproat appears to be off the table as the Mets are looking to add to their pitching depth, and the young pitcher is seemingly a part of their near-future plans. But a package of Acuña, McLean, and Tong should certainly be enough to get the job done and land the Mets the ace they are in desperate need of.

While it does remain highly unlikely that a deal will happen, this is one the Mets need to consider to better help their chances in the division. It's hard enough to compete in the National League East even with a true ace, and as things stand now, the Mets will be trying to do so without one.

Recommended articles:

Published
Troy Brock
TROY BROCK

Troy Brock is an up and comer in the sports journalism landscape. After starting on Medium, he quickly made his way to online publications Last Word on Sports and Athlon before bringing his work to the esteemed Sports Illustrated. You can find Troy on Twitter/X @TroyBBaseball

Home/News