Aug 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images William Liang-Imagn Images

Padres Ace Named Among Biggest Disappointments of 2025 Season

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 1:30 PM ET

Dylan Cease is not having the season he envisioned during a contract year.

As of Aug. 27, Cease has a 6-11 record with a 4.82 ERA. The quality of his pitch assortment hasn't diminished as he's still averaging 97.0 miles per hour on his fastballs. However, a lack of command coupled with poor pitch selection has led to a very mediocre season in context with Cease's ceiling and talent level as a starter.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote an article in which the author broke down the biggest disappointments of the MLB season up to this point. Cease was a name featured within the list based on what's been a very rough season. Miller specifically spoke to Cease's inability in conjuring up the quality he's flashed in year's passed.

"Had Dylan Cease hit free agency this past winter—after receiving votes for both NL Cy Young and NL MVP for the second time in three years—he would have been right up there with Max Fried (8 years, $218M), Corbin Burnes (6 years, $210M) and Blake Snell (5 years, $182M) in terms of overall contract size. Instead, it's now the Cy Young-caliber 2024 campaign that looks like the outlier in his rolling three-year window, his current 4.82 ERA on par with the 4.58 mark he posted in 2023."

I'm not kidding when I say I don't think you let Dylan Cease start a playoff game. I'd genuinely rather have Randy Vasquez out there.
— Ryan Phillips (@RumorsandRants) August 27, 2025

While it was somewhat surprising the Padres didn't trade Cease at the deadline, the bigger picture could involve a situation where Cease signs a one-year deal to reset his value — or quite possibly just leaves for another franchise.

"Some consolation that is for the Padres, though, as Cease sits at 6-11 overall with a 5.28 ERA in his three starts against the Dodgers in that heated race. He made 16 quality starts last year, including that no-hitter against the Nationals. He only has seven QS this season, and has yet to pitch into the eighth inning of a game."

Dylan Cease, Dirty 84mph Knuckle Curve...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Z1BQQiVGCB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 27, 2025

Should Cease continue to struggle, it'll be very interesting to see how San Diego opts to utilize him down the stretch. For a possible playoff series, one would expect to see Yu Darvish, a healthy Michael King, and Nick Pivetta as virtual locks to start.

Randy Vasquez and Nestor Cortes seem to be other options in the starting rotation if Cease isn't one of the top-four.