3 Padres who won’t be back if San Diego signs Dylan Cease long-term

A.J. Preller pulled off yet another major blockbuster, acquiring Dylan Cease from seemingly out of nowhere in a deal with the Chicago White Sox. The Padres were not rumored to be in on Cease for much of the offseason, but were mentioned in rumors in recent days and they sealed the deal on Wednesday night.

By acquiring Cease, the San Diego Padres added a much-needed arm to what can now be considered a formidable rotation. The fifth spot is a bit of a question mark, but not many teams can beat a top four of Cease, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and Michael King.

Part of why the Padres had to give up a good amount of assets to acquire Cease had to do with the fact that he came with two years of control. Cease won't enter free agency until after the 2025 season, and is only making $8 million this season which was perfect for the cost-cutting Padres. While he's cheap for now, he won't be in a couple of years. If the Padres elect to keep Cease around long-term, that could mean these three players won't be part of their plans.

3) The Padres will try to find a way to trade Jake Cronenworth if Dylan Cease signs long-term

Part of the reason why the Padres are in the financial trouble that they're in has to do with several extensions handed out by A.J. Preller. They were both lucrative and lengthy for some of their older players. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Joe Musgrove, and Yu Darvish are the biggest ones, but Jake Cronenworth received a huge one ahead of the 2023 campaign.

At the time, the deal made a decent amount of sense. A seven-year deal worth $80 million didn't appear to be franchise-altering by any means for a player who had made back-to-back All-Star Game appearances, but his 2023 campaign makes it look like an awful deal.

Cronenworth missed the final month of the year due to injury and wasn't good when he played, posting a 92 OPS+ as their primary first baseman. Perhaps he can bounce back this season and improve his trade value, but with him under contract through the 2030 campaign, the Padres will try and find a way out of it.

Whether that means they have to eat some of the money or attach a prospect, it would not be surprising to see Cronenworth's name back in trade rumors like they were this past offseason.