Red Sox Expressing Interest in Padres' Dylan Cease as Trade Deadline Looms

The Boston Red Sox are one of six teams showing interest in San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post. While it is unclear if Boston has made an official offer, the report signals that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow may be gearing up for a significant move before the deadline.

Cease, 29, is not having a standout season by his own standards, posting a 4.59 ERA across 113.2 innings, but the upside remains undeniable. He is still striking out hitters at an elite rate (11.4 K/9) and ranks in the 94th percentile in Whiff Rate, per Baseball Savant. In a deadline market thin on front-line starters, that profile alone could make him one of the more impactful arms available.

Durability is another selling point. Cease has made at least 32 starts every year since 2021 and has not thrown fewer than 165 innings in any of those seasons. That kind of reliability is exactly what Boston needs right now with Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck on the injured list and Walker Buehler struggling to find form behind Garret Crochet and Lucas Giolito.

The biggest blemish on Cease’s 2024 resume has been the long ball. With 16 home runs allowed so far, he is on pace for a career-worst total. However, moving to pitcher-friendly Fenway Park could help minimize that damage. Baseball Savant suggests Cease would have surrendered just 10 homers, pitching all his games in Boston this year, the second-lowest total across all MLB stadiums.

Cease will be a free agent at season’s end, which limits his value. But if the Red Sox are serious about maximizing this window without mortgaging the future, acquiring a proven workhorse like Cease could be the calculated swing Breslow is looking for.