Jul 25, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Diego Padres 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' Star Free Agent Predicted to Leave San Diego for Orioles

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 5:10 PM ET

Bleacher Report's Joe Tansey predicted San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease would leave to join the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason.

Cease's contract with the Padres is set to expire at the end of the postseason, and he will be free to search for a new team. Cease's name floated around trade conversations near the trade deadline, which indicates the Padres don't especially want to keep the right-hander.

"Cease's stock is okay at the moment, but it could skyrocket with a strong postseason for the Padres," wrote Tansey.

"He doesn't have a massive postseason pedigree, but if he comes up with a few big outings for the Padres, he could be viewed as a better option compared to Valdez in the eyes of some teams.

"Baltimore stands out as a possible landing spot because it needs one veteran hurler to pair with its young core."

Cease had a few couple of outings to round out his time in San Diego, posting five one-run innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 24 before throwing just his third scoreless outing of the season against the Cubs in the Padres' Game 2 win in the Wild Card series.

Despite some regular season inconsistencies out of Cease, the 29-year-old still had the biggest part of his game come through this season: the strikeout. Cease reached 200 strikeouts for the fifth consecutive season, and his 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings led MLB during the season.

“I love San Diego a lot,” Cease said after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in the Wild Card series. “I really haven’t thought too much about [free agency]. It’s a special organization. I think it’s the most unique setup. You have an entire city -- and it’s a big city -- and it’s just a baseball city. The fans treat us extremely well. We sell out every game. It’s been a really, really cool experience.”

With Cease gearing up to leave in the offseason, the Padres desperately need to address their starting rotation before next season. Along with Cease, Michael King is expected to opt out of his deal to test free agency and Nestor Cortes will also enter the market. After the return of Joe Musgrove from Tommy John surgery, they still need to make two additions to ensure they can field a capable five-man rotation on Opening Day.