But their asking price for Cease was high, and they were determined to keep it that way. When it became clear that no opposing team would meet that price, they made a decision.
“Our best team,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller would later say, “has Dylan Cease on it.”
Hard to argue after a day like Sunday. In his first start since the Deadline, Cease pitched five scoreless, one-hit innings and struck out nine Cardinals in the Padres’ 7-3 victory at Petco Park.
“I really just want to contribute,” Cease said. “We have a great team. We feel good about ourselves. I want to be a part of it.”
And now he is — for the next few months, at least. Cease is slated to become a free agent this winter, which is why the Padres considered moving him in the first place — the idea being that they could recoup some value for the future.
But Preller wouldn’t flinch from his high price tag. Cease had struggled for much of the season, entering play Sunday with a 4.79 ERA. But his peripheral numbers indicated he has been much better than that. He’s been an ace before, and the Padres operated as though they believed he’d be an ace again — soon.
Cease and Preller spoke before the Deadline. Essentially, Preller wanted to be forthright with Cease that he might hear his name in trade rumors. Preller also wanted to make it clear that the Padres still valued him greatly.
Cease was dealt from the White Sox to the Padres in March 2024. He’s been at the center of trade speculation for most of the past three years. He told Preller it was no big deal; he understood the business. But when he found out he’d be staying with the Padres, Cease said he was ecstatic.
“I love being in San Diego, and I want to be a part of something special here,” he said.
Cease almost certainly could have gone deeper in the game on Sunday. But at the same time the Padres were considering trading Cease, they were also in the process of building a super bullpen. They decided to deploy it.
Setup man Jason Adam pitched the sixth inning, as early as he has pitched all year. Jeremiah Estrada struck out the side — and was one borderline pitch from an immaculate seventh inning.
With newcomer Mason Miller warming in the bottom of the seventh, San Diego broke the game open, and Miller wasn’t needed. Things got dicey in the ninth when Adrian Morejon allowed five straight Cardinals to reach. But Robert Suarez nailed down his Major League-leading 32nd save.
Quite a formula. The Padres got dominant Cease for five innings. Then, they turned it over to their super bullpen. With their revamped offense, they blew the game open, then had Suarez (and Miller) on hand to quash any trouble.
Just how they drew it up at the Deadline, really.
“Watching Dylan throw today, it seems like he’s had flashes of it in his last few outings — it’s him,” said second baseman Jake Cronenworth. “Today he was awesome. That was the Dylan I know. For him to bridge it to the bullpen with the guys we’ve added and what we already had — that’s what it’s all about.”
Batting eighth, Cronenworth gave the Padres a lead with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. New left fielder Ramón Laureano, batting seventh, went deep, as well. No. 9 hitter Freddy Fermin went 2-for-3 with a walk.
The Padres hit the Trade Deadline with the lowest OPS in the Majors from the bottom third of their lineup. It’s impossible to overstate how different that lineup looks, now that it’s been lengthened with the likes of Laureano, Fermin and Ryan O’Hearn.
“One through nine — and even the guys on the bench — it’s a tough lineup to get through,” Cronenworth said.
Truly, the Padres addressed all of their weaknesses at the Deadline. They needed bats, and they got three, covering the three positions where they were lacking. They needed to ease the burden on their bullpen, and they got one of the sport’s best relievers.
The rotation has not been a weakness. But without Dylan Cease — and with question marks elsewhere — it threatened to become one. The Padres won’t need to worry about that now.
