Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Heading into MLB free agency, there are plenty of quality players available for teams to go after. Many around the game expect there to be a ton of movement across the league, and this could see power shifts between teams.
One of the bigger names on the market this year is right-hander Dylan Cease, who is coming off another year with the San Diego Padres. Cease didn’t put together the best season for San Diego, putting up an ERA of 4.55 over 32 starts.
While he did struggle a little bit during this past season, Cease still has electric stuff on the mound. There have been moments over the past few seasons where the right-hander has looked like one of the better pitchers in the entire sport.
But there have been other times where his control has been somewhat of a problem, and it has gotten him into trouble. Cease has been a little inconsistent, especially with his walk rate.
This past season saw the walk rate hover around 10 percent, which is his career mark. But he still managed to strike a ton of batters out, and has been one of the best in recent memory around baseball.
Cease is also durable as they come, being only one of three pitchers to throw at least 160 innings in each of the past five years. This could bode well for him on the open market, especially with teams needing starting pitching help in the worst way.
However, the skills that he does have are sharp, and he could be a solid addition to any team. Cease was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox, and he finished fourth in the voting in 2024 with the Padres.
Before he was traded, there was a high asking price for Cease, in part due to the overall potential that he has on the mound. If he could get back to this, he could end up being a real steal on the free agent market.
This is just a prediction, NOT a report!
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Dylan Cease Signs With the Los Angeles Angels
One team that could be a real sleeper in free agency this year is the Los Angeles Angels. Even with the team not being overly competitive in recent years, they are a sleeping giant due to the ideal location of where they play.
Los Angeles desperately needs help in the starting rotation, and they could make a run at Cease. Adding someone like him to the pitching staff would give them a true ace, and he could lead this group for years to come.
The Angels have never been shy about making big splashes in free agency, and the pressure is on them to start building back up. Cease could be the start of this, and he would likely welcome a chance to stay in Southern California after multiple years in San Diego.
If anything, the Angels could finally have someone in the rotation to put fear into an opposing team if they were to land Cease. Cease may prefer to play for a winning team, but in free agency, money tends to talk, and the Angels could throw a bag at him.