The San Diego Padres are backed against the wall in free agency this offseason. They are set to lose Michael King and Dylan Cease in free agency as both pitchers’ contracts expired at the end of the season.
King is projected to sign a modest deal, but Cease is projected to sign a monster contract. Cease could land a deal worth $200 million in free agency, which would likely put him out of the Padres’ price range.
Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recently predicted Cease would ditch the Padres and sign a massive seven-year, $210 million deal with the rival San Francisco Giants.
“It is because of these factors that I feel Cease gets the largest and longest deal from this year’s free agent class. Last year, Max Fried got an eight-year, $218 million deal, which carries a $27.5 million AAV. Corbin Boras signed a six-year, $210 million deal, earning $35 million per season,” Finkelstein wrote. “Cease could clear $200 million, and I have him settling in the middle of these two deals, getting $30 million per season over a seven-year deal, landing on a total contract valued at $210 million.”
The Giants desperately need to add a pitcher to their roster, and Cease could fit perfectly.
San Francisco lost a few pitchers in the trade to land Rafael Devers. The front office has the money to chase a massive free agent like Cease, so a $210 million deal could make a lot of sense.
Adding talent like this would help the Giants close the gap on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the loaded National League West.
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