Padres Announce When Dylan Cease Will Make His San Diego Debut

The first look at the Padres new pitcher.

Your San Diego Padres have announced when newly acquired right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease will make his debut. Cease will pitch in the second exhibition game today and is expected to go between two and three innings.

Jhony Brito starts the first exhibition game for the Padres, and Dylan Cease will make his Padres debut as the starter in the second exhibition game (Monday against the LG Twins).

Mike Shildt says Cease will probably aim for 2-3 innings in that start.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 16, 2024

In a shocking move, the Padres acquired the Chicago White Sox ace in exchange for three of the organization's top prospects and right-handed reliever Steven Wilson. Cease did not make the flight over with the team on the charter plane but joined the team on a separate flight a little later.

The 28-year-old is coming off a somewhat down year in 2023. He had a 4.58 ERA over 177.0 innings.

The Padres are hoping that he returns to his 2022 form where he had a 2.20 ERA and finished second in the American League Cy Young voting. 

A true workhorse, Cease has started 30 games in the past three seasons. He can struggle with command but his elite slider helps him generate more whiffs than anyone in baseball.

Cease will be the team's third starter behind veterans Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. He gives the team all-star caliber pitching while also shifting everyone else down in the rotation one spot. 

What was once the team's biggest question mark, now seems like one of its strengths.

He has two years, including 2023, left in arbitration before he hits free agency in 2026.