The New York Yankees have spent much of their offseason focus on filling the gap left by Gleyber Torres‘ departure from the infield, but so far, no significant moves have been made.
Could general manager Brian Cashman shift gears and acquire another ace by trading for San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease? The Yankees have previously been linked to Cease, including last winter before he was traded from the Chicago White Sox to San Diego. In 2024, Cease made 30-plus starts for the fourth consecutive year, finishing with a 14-11 record, a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 224 strikeouts over 189 1/3 innings.
Despite his importance to the Padres last season, Cease’s name has surfaced in trade rumors once more. FanSided’s Thomas Carannante suggests the Yankees should consider making a move if they can’t further strengthen their offense.
Carannante proposes offering starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt, outfielder Everson Pereira, and infielder Jorbit Vivas as trade pieces. “Or some variation of that,” Carannante writes, “where the Padres fill Cease’s spot in the rotation and gain prospect value after the losses of Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar.”
Schmidt had a solid 2024 with a 2.85 ERA in 85 1/3 innings and is under team control until 2028. MLB.com ranks Pereira as the Yankees’ 11th-best prospect, and Vivas posted a .713 OPS in Triple-A last season. Cease is set to earn $13.75 million in 2025 and will reach free agency next offseason, with his long-term contract value estimated at five years and $108 million by Spotrac.
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