Padres faced with a difficult free agency decision on Dylan Cease

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease is one of the more polarizing soon-to-be free agents out there, and he’ll command a market that reflects that sentiment this winter.

On one hand, Cease has some of the best stuff of any starting pitcher in baseball, and can generate swings and misses with the best of them. On the other, Cease’s face value stats don’t tell the full story of how dominant he can truly be. This season, he is pitching to a 4.64 ERA in 31 starts with an 8-12 record. As of now, his career-best 2.20 ERA set back in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox feels a bit flukey, as every other season of his career has seen him post an ERA of 3.47 or worse. 

Cease to enter free agency this offseason

That being said, Cease will hit the open market this offseason. His market value remains to be seen across the league, as on one hand he has the track record of sustained success in the past, but on the other he’s struggled with limiting runs. Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Mintz ranked Cease amongst the top 10 free agents available this offseason.

“Thankfully, Cease’s stuff hasn’t backed up at all; he’s still racking up whiffs and punching out hitters at an elite rate,” Mintz said. “Sure, you’d like to see him post at a Cy Young level before you pay him Cy Young money, but the peripherals are strong enough to convince a rich, analytically inclined team to go for it.”

Nonetheless, Cease will continue to help the Padres towards their trek to the postseason as the season comes to a close. The Padres are currently in sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the NL, and are looking to make a deep run this October.