Jul 25, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) is doused with a Gatorade cooler by Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) and Padres third baseman Tyler Wade (14) while waiting for an on-air interview after throwing a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Padres' Key Free Agent Predicted to Leave San Diego in Free Agency

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 2:59 PM ET

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted the San Diego Padres to move on from starting pitcher Dylan Cease when he hits free agency in the offseason.

Cease joined the Padres from the Chicago White Sox ahead of the 2024 season and had a fantastic first campaign in San Diego, but has failed to replicate his results in 2025. He has a 4.81 ERA through his team-leading 28 starts, and has allowed 20 home runs, the most on the team.

"Perhaps there's an outside chance he takes a qualifying offer to reset his value," wrote Kelly.

"What's more likely is Cease declines the qualifying offer and signs a multi-year deal with an early opt-out, as the Padres gave Nick Pivetta ahead of this season.

"Maybe that will be with the Padres, but there will surely be another shiny object for president of baseball operations A.J. Preller to go get."

What Will Padres Rotation Look Like if Dylan Cease Leaves?

If the Padres are to move on from Cease, they will have several holes to plug in their rotation during free agency. They will also lose Nestor Cortes in free agency, and Michael King is unlikely to accept his mutual option in favor of finding a bigger deal on the market.

That leaves the Friars with Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and JP Sears for next season, which means they will need to make at least one addition to their rotation. Luckily for them, there are plenty of pitchers in this season's class which would be fantastic additions to their lineup.

Current Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez is a free agent in the summer, and would fill the left-handed void the Padres will have upon Cortes' departure. Also on the market are Ranger Suarez and Zac Gallen, both of whom are All-Stars.

With the Padres' recent struggles as far as their starting pitchers are concerned, it wouldn't be surprising if they completely overhauled their rotation starting with Cease, who has been largely inconsistent this season. The Padres have had the worst starting pitching in MLB by ERA over their last nine games, and have stumbled in the playoff race as a result.

Their next 10 games will make a huge difference in the postseason picture, as they play the Colorado Rockies seven times and have a chance to close the gap in the division. Their first series against the Rockies begins Friday at 5:40 p.m. PT.