Padres land Dylan Cease in deal with White Sox

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PEORIA, Ariz. — The Padres accomplished Spring Teaching and left for Korea on Wednesday — nevertheless not sooner than pulling off a big late-spring blockbuster.

San Diego acquired ace right-hander Dylan Cease from the White Sox, the Padres launched Wednesday evening time, moments sooner than their plane was slated to depart for subsequent week’s season-opening Seoul Assortment. In return, they despatched three of their Prime 10 prospects and righty reliever Steven Wilson to Chicago. Proper right here is the commerce in full:

“It’s onerous to give up the names that we gave up,” said Padres frequent supervisor A.J. Preller. “We predict very extraordinarily of Drew Thorpe, Iriarte, Zavala and Wilson. Nonetheless a person like Dylan Cease was the right pitcher on the right time for this group.”

Cease, who will earn $8 million this season, is beneath membership administration by way of 2025. He has posted a 3.83 ERA all through 5 massive league seasons, along with a second-place finish for the American League Cy Youthful Award in 2022.

The 2023 season was a down 12 months for Cease, by which he notched a 4.58 ERA, though his peripheral numbers level out he may’ve dealt with a little bit little bit of harmful luck. Cease recorded a 3.72 FIP, whereas hanging out 214 hitters in 177 innings. In San Diego, he’ll be pitching in entrance of a higher safety in a further pitcher-friendly environment.

A bounce-back 12 months from Cease would bolster the Padres’ rotation in an enormous strategy. He’ll slot in on the prime, alongside right-handers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, primarily altering Blake Snell, who departed by free firm. Proper right here’s how the San Diego rotation may line as a lot as start the season:

Ultimate 12 months, the rotation posted a Fundamental League-best 3.69 ERA. Nonetheless after shedding Snell, Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo, the Padres wished to bolster that group over the winter. Throughout the Juan Soto commerce, they added 4 gadgets — King, Brito, Randy Vásquez and Thorpe.

Nonetheless, Preller remained in quest of that front-line arm that may flip his rotation into certainly one of many sport’s best as soon as extra. He appears to have found it in Cease.

Cease arrived at Padres camp in Peoria on Thursday sooner than a scheduled flight to hitch the group in Korea, the place the Padres open the season with two video video games in opposition to the Dodgers, March 20-21. The group has already launched Darvish and Musgrove as a result of the starters for these video video games, and it’s unlikely this switch would alter that plan.

Cease has been improve on a definite schedule, after all. Taking the ball amid swirling commerce rumors, he pitched 3 1/3 frames of one-run ball in opposition to the Reds on Tuesday evening time, shifting his Cactus League ERA to 2.16.

“I really feel the best way during which I’ve pitched this spring has probably elevated [the trade talk] just a bit bit,” Cease said after that start. “I’ve been really locked in.”

Throughout the aftermath of the deal, the Padres have been notably completely satisfied that they held on to their prime 4 prospects, though Thorpe, Zavala and Iriarte are all extraordinarily regarded. Pitching in massive league camp for the first time this spring, every Thorpe and Iriarte have been great. Wilson, within the meantime, figured to operate certainly one of many group’s essential setup males. His absence leaves the bullpen significantly skinny.

Nonetheless the Padres felt the price was worth it for an arm like Cease. In each of the earlier three seasons, Cease has made his full contingent of begins, essential the American League twice in that class. He’s racked up higher than 200 strikeouts in all of those seasons.

“He brings fairly a bit to the desk,” Preller said. “He brings the pliability to miss bats. … It’s a vitality repertoire, nevertheless vitality with sturdiness.”

There are nonetheless a great deal of questions elsewhere on a San Diego roster that seen plenty of important departures in the middle of the winter. The outfield is skinny, and the bullpen appears unstable (notably with the ever-reliable Wilson headed to Chicago).

Nonetheless this was a roster that, coming into the offseason, was riddled with rotation questions. As a result of the Padres began their trek the world over on Wednesday evening time, that they’d answered these questions resoundingly.