Unfortunately, the San Diego Padres find themselves in that weird position, where they have an opportunity to win a World Series, but may also lose some of their top players in the offseason.
With Dylan Cease available on the free agency market during this upcoming winter, it remains uncertain what the Padres plan to do.
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However, as a Scott Boras client, it’s almost certain that he’ll be available for teams to bid on, unless the Padres come in with an offer over the next few months before he hits free agency that blows him and Boras out of the water.
Despite that, Dennis Lin of The Athletic doesn’t expect that to be the case, adding that every team around the league could use him, and that he’s “almost certainly gone.”
“Cease is a Scott Boras client, and every team could use him. In other words, he’s almost certainly gone. King’s weird injury might have increased the chances of his staying, but for now, I’d still put those odds at well under 50 percent. Suarez will be 35 next season, and he’s had elbow issues in the past. The Padres would be wise to let him explore free agency,” he wrote.
MORE: All-Star Red Sox outfielder ‘makes the most sense’ for Padres at trade deadline
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The Padres likely understood that when Cease hit the open market, they’d have a tough time keeping him.
Had the Padres been playing a bit better, it’d be easier to justify giving a starter the type of money that he’ll command on the market.
However, even then, it isn’t as if Cease has been great this year, with a 4.62 ERA.
He has 121 strikeouts in 97.1 innings and a 3.41 FIP, suggesting that he’s been very unlucky, but the base numbers haven’t exactly been ideal regarding the ERA.
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