ESPN: Yankees land San Diego Padres favorite pitcher worth $13 million, filling a final infield void following Gleyber Torres’ departure.

Filling a final infield void following Gleyber Torres’ departure has garnered a lot of attention during the New York Yankees’ offseason, but nothing has come of it. Would general manager Brian Cashman take a different approach and acquire Dylan Cease, a pitcher for the San Diego Padres, in order to add another ace? The right-hander is someone the Yankees have been connected to in the past. Prior to the Chicago White Sox sending him to San Diego last winter, they expressed interest in dealing for him. In 2024, Cease recorded a 14-11 record with a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 224 strikeouts in 189 1/3 innings thrown, and he started 30+ games for the fourth consecutive year.

His name has been swirling around trade rumors once more, despite being a crucial component of the Padres’ jigsaw the previous season. Thomas Carannante of FanSided believes that if the Bombers are unable to improve the offense any more, they should make a deal.

“What’s stopping the Yankees from offering (starting pitcher) Clarke Schmidt, (outfielder) Everson Pereira and (infielder) Jorbit Vivas?” Carannante wrote. “Or some variation of that where the Padres replenish Cease’s spot in the rotation and get prospect value for the infield/outfield after the departures of Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar?” Schmidt won’t be available for free agency until 2028 after recording a 2.85 ERA in 85 1/3 innings pitched for New York in 2024. MLB.com lists Pereira as the Yankees’ 11th-best prospect and Vivas recorded a .713 OPS in 422 Triple-A plate appearances last season.

Cease will be eligible for free agency in the upcoming summer after earning $13.75 million this season. For a long-term contract, Spotrac has estimated his current market worth at $108 million over five years.