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The 2025 season has been an uphill battle for Padres pitcher Dylan Cease. After an impressive campaign last year, Cease has posted subpar numbers with a 4.88 ERA and a 3-9 record for the 50-43 Friars squad.
Per Baseball Savant, Cease scored a -2 in Pitching Run Value and -5 in fastball run value which puts him in the back half in percentile levels amongst all qualified MLB hurlers this campaign. With regards to his specialty breaking balls, Cease has only qualified within the 69th percentile this season, a far cry from the 100th percentile rank he recorded in 2024.
With the trade deadline fast approaching, the Padres' brass could possibly ship away Cease's $13.75 million contract that will expire at the end of the season for valuable pieces that can be utilized for a postseason run. With that in mind, here are three reasons why San Diego should look elsewhere and ship Dylan Cease away while he still provides trade value.
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3 reasons why Padres should move on from Dylan Cease
1) Worst-performing starter
As a member of the 2024 MLB All-Second Team, Dylan Cease's performance this year is unbecoming of such a distinction. At the time of writing, Cease is the worst-performing starter in the Friars' starting crew.
Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish, and Randy Vasquez have largely carried the load for the rotation this year as Cease is the only starter who has accumulated an ERA greater than 4.00. With the squad posting the 10th-best team ERA in MLB this year at 3.69, Cease's 4.88 ERA is certainly an eyesore in terms of team averages.
2) Plethora of choices as replacement
As the season reaches its midway point, postseason contenders are expected to bolster their squads for the second half of the season in hopes of making it to the playoffs. As Cease's stats continue to plummet, several hurlers could be labeled as possible replacements for the 29-year-old.
Tampa Bay's Zack Littell and Miami's Edward Cabrera are just some of the names that are potential trade candidates who can take the mantle in the Padres' rotation. The pair has also performed better than Cease this year with a sub-4.00 ERA and a respectable win-loss record.
3) Point of no return
In his most recent start on July 9, Dylan Cease was clobbered by the Diamondbacks with three home runs in a six-inning appearance. He gave up six earned runs as the Padres were overrun, 8-2.
After posting a 4.23 ERA last month, Cease's averages have now plummeted even further as he's posted a 0-2 record with a 7.50 ERA in July. The Padres pitcher is getting easier to figure out as he's only mustered a 22nd percentile rank in terms of barrel percentage and a 21st percentile in ground ball percentage this year.
