The Mets are one of the more consistent pursuers of star Padres right-hander Dylan Cease, and word is they have prospects who interest the Padres — if indeed San Diego decides to deal him.
The Padres are believed to like talented infielder Luisangel Acuña, who played brilliantly upon his late-season call-up, plus right-handed pitchers Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, among others. Sproat is the gem with his big arm, and Acuña’s value rose after that stunning late performance. McLean is a former two-way player with big stuff, and Tong is producing eye-popping numbers.
Padres GM A.J. Preller just signed free agent Nick Pivetta to a heavily backloaded $55M, four-year deal. So he’s hoping to convince ownership they have a chance to win now (they actually came closest to knocking off the eventual World Champion Dodgers last October) and don’t need to trade high-priced stars, even big-salaried rentals such as Cease ($13.75M) and Michael King who’ll be free agents after the season.
Preller would much prefer to play out 2025 with his talented roster, and he’s a persuasive guy who could possibly convince ownership to go for it even after being told to investigate a potential fire sale for months (King, Luis Arráez and Jake Cronenworth are three others they were listening on). Of course, it’s also possible he’ll have no choice. Padres ownership is in flux with beloved late owner Peter Seidler’s brother, John, gaining temporary control of the team in a vote of the 29 other owners while Seidler’s widow, Sheel, is suing to wrest it back.
