Mets predicted to sign former All-Star pitcher from Padres this offseason

With four new additions coming in, it was a great job by the Mets to position themselves well for October baseball. However, one area that they didn’t address was the starting rotation. This is a unit that has been under fire a bit of late, and there is some uncertainty about whether it will be good enough in the playoffs.

New York won’t be addressing that potential issue now, but Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently predicted that they would sign San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease in the offseason. Cease was a name mentioned at the trade deadline, but the Padres ultimately held on to him and are going all-in to try to win this year.

The right-hander has been a very strong pitcher throughout his career but has seen a little dip in production this campaign. He's totaled a 4.60 ERA so far in 2025, but a FIP of 3.51 indicates there should be some improvement going forward for him.

While the team will be gearing up to try and win this season, starting pitching figures to be a need for them in 2026. Targeting a player like Cease over the winter makes a lot of sense with his ability to be a Cy Young-caliber pitcher. He could easily come in and lead this rotation, which feels like it is missing an ace despite the recent emergence of David Peterson.

There will certainly be some good starting pitchers hitting the market in the offseason, and it will be interesting to see if that is where the Mets look to go to improve their rotation. Despite the numbers not looking great on the surface, Cease is still a great pitcher and could make a significant impact for New York.