Red Sox may not be done adding to rotation; ‘been in touch’ with NL West club about starter
The Red Sox may not be done addressing the starting rotation. Boston has reportedly “been in touch” with the Padres about starting pitcher Dylan Cease, MassLive’s Sean McAdam wrote on Sunday. Section 10’s Jared Carrabis first mentioned the potential link to the Red Sox earlier in the week.
According to McAdam, “the interest from the Red Sox has been closer to ‘due diligence’ level than it is to aggressive pursuit.”
Rumors have swirled all winter about the possibility of the Padres moving on from Cease, mainly due to the fact the righty will be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season. Padres starter Michael King has also been subject to trade rumors this offseason.
One reason these two pitchers have been speculated as trade pieces is due to the Padres current financial situation. Their television deal fell through, cutting into the club’s revenue as well as the death of owner Peter Seidler.
The Padres have been searching for pitching and recently signed Nick Pivetta and Kyle Hart before the start of camps opening.
Cease would make the Red Sox rotation even deeper if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow swings a deal to add the veteran to the mix. In his first season with San Diego last year, he posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out 224 batters in 189 1/3 frames.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller has downplayed the idea of trading Cease, saying the team is more “inclined” to keep him atop their rotation for the 2025 season.
“[Cease is] a very big part of our club,” said Preller to MLB.com. “The additions the last couple of days supplement what’s a really good rotation. That’s our focus here going forward — having that strong rotation.”
That doesn’t mean that Cease will end the season with the Padres, and the right offer from the Red Sox could help land them another key piece to their rotation.
