Padres were never close to trading Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez

As the MLB trade deadline neared, there were rumors that the San Diego Padres were listening to offers and could move both Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez. But both stayed in San Diego, as the Padres didn't trade either away. But how close did they get?

According to USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale, the Padres were never close to dealing either Cease or Suarez. Despite the interest from teams around baseball and the rumors swirling about both, the Padres didn't trade either.

"The Padres never had any intention of trading closer Robert Suarez," Nightengale writes, "and were never close to trading starter Dylan Cease, realizing they are a much stronger team with him."

A.J. Preller swung five deals at the deadline, but none involved shipping major-league talent out, despite the potential strong returns for Cease or Suarez.

The Padres were in trade talks with the Houston Astros for Cease, but with the Padres' asking price too high, the Astros backed out, and the Padres kept both Cease and Suarez despite the additions made to both the bullpen and the rotation.

MORE: Padres pull off blockbuster trade for Athletics' Mason Miller

San Diego landed Mason Miller and J.P. Sears in a blockbuster deal with the Athletics. Later in the day, they added Nestor Cortes from the Milwaukee Brewers, further improving their rotation depth.

In the bullpen, Suarez and Miller lead the best bullpen in baseball. Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon (2025 All-Stars for the Padres), Jeremiah Estrada, Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui, and David Morgan round out the top bullpen in baseball.

In the rotation, Cease, Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Sears, Randy Vasquez, Cortes, and Joe Musgrove make up a strong rotation. While Musgrove won't be back for a while, and King is still banged up, the rotation is still strong.

San Diego, in keeping both Cease and Suarez, ensured their starting rotation and bullpen are strong for a postseason run. While they could've landed solid returns for both, keeping them for a World Series push is more worthwhile.

As Nightengale reports, despite the interest and trade rumors, they weren't interested in dealing Suarez, and never came close to trading Cease at the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

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