“I wish the best players would quit coming to the NL West" - Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on Dylan Cease deal to Padres

The MLB universe was rocked on Wednesday after the Chicago White Sox traded ace Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres. In exchange for the 2022 Cy Young Award finalist, the White Sox received a trio of prospects: Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala and Jairo Iriarte. They also received veteran relief pitcher Steven Wilson.

The blockbuster move of Dylan Cease seemingly came out of nowhere. Although there have been rumors surrounding Cease all offseason, he was most heavily linked to the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. The move will bolster the San Diego Padres rotation which most notably lost Blake Snell this offseason.

“I wish the best players would quit coming to the NL West.” #Dbacks Manager Torey Lovullo weighs in #Padres acquiring pitcher Dylan Cease." - @MarkMcClune

While the massive trade sent MLB social media into a frenzy, not everyone was the biggest fan of the trade. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo for one joked about the move, saying “I wish the best players would quit coming to the NL West."

Although the response was playful in nature, there is some truth to the fact that the National League West has seen an injection of talent this offseason. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants have all been active this offseason bringing in several superstars, headlined by Shohei Ohtani.

Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks have undoubtedly been following the offseason, particularly inside their own division. That being said, the D-Backs are coming off a World Series appearance, which will likely lead to both confidence and motivation this upcoming season.

The Dylan Cease trade will undoubtedly increase the Padres' postseason chances

Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks were probably excited to see the number of superstars who left the San Diego Padres this offseason. Juan Soto, Josh Hader, and Blake Snell are among the superstars who will no longer be the in Friars clubhouse, which hurt the club's odds of reaching the postseason.

"#MLBTonight reacts to the report that the Padres are finalizing a trade to a acquire RHP Dylan Cease from the White Sox." - @MLBNetwork

However, now that the San Diego Padres landed a bona fide star pitcher such as Dylan Cease, they should find themselves back in playoff contention. Cease will join an already strong pitching rotation that features the likes of Yu Darvish and Michael King.