No one is buying Dylan Cease's assurance to Padres fans amid Cubs, Braves interest

The San Diego Padres tried and failed to add to their core at an affordable price tag with Roki Sasaki, so now it's time to take a long look in the mirror. While the Padres would be wise to hang onto franchise icons like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., for example, Dylan Cease and Michael King are a different story.

Cease in particular sounds likely to bolt next winter. The asking price for starting pitchers of his caliber is enormous. It doesn't help that Cease is a Scott Boras client, an agent who always takes his players to free agency. Cease is in the prime of his career and starting pitches are in demand.

So, the Padres best bet may be to trade Cease while they still can. Several teams are reportedly interested, including the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves, surely among others. The leaked asking price from Chicago included Matt Shaw, their top prospect who could start the season as their Opening Day third baseman.

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No one believes Dylan Cease will stay with the San Diego Padres

The Padres are right to keep the asking price high for now, as any team acquiring Cease would get him for at least a full season, along with his negotiating rights. However, contenders shouldn't be fooled, the longer this plays out the lower the Padres price tag will be. Even Cease knows there's a chance he's dealt, though all he'll say publicly is his desire to remain in San Diego for this season. No one like to be the villain.

The Cubs have an advantage over just about any interested party because of their impressive farm system. Even if Chicago doesn't part ways with Shaw, San Diego should have interest in other top-100 prospects in their ranks, like Cade Horton or Owen Caissie.

The Braves would have a much larger advantage if Cease were to get directly involved. It's not often in MLB that players will try to choose their destination (unless they have a no-trade clause), but Cease is from Georgia and Alex Anthopoulos has made a habit of acquiring local products. The only issue is the Braves farm system is lacking in comparison to other interested teams.

Either way, Cease remaining in San Diego long term went out the window a long time ago. The sooner both sides can reconcile with that fact, the better.