Around nine teams have been in contact with the Padres to expre s interest in , writes . Heyman lists the Cubs, Mets and all five AL East teams among that group. The remaining two clubs are unknown, though The Athletic that the Twins had shown interest. A pre-Opening Day trade still seems highly unlikely. wrote earlier this week that the Padres were only willing to entertain trading their top starter if they received a significant offensive upgrade in the return package. Theyd almost certainly want a controllable starting pitcher who could immediately replace Cease in the rotation as well. Thats T. J. Leaf Jersey a difficult asking price for another team to meet, especially without impactful hitters remaining in free agency to backfill the lineup. Cease was traded midway through last years Spring Training. That was a different situation, as the White Sox were in full rebuild mode when they dealt him to the Padres. San Diego expects to compete for a playoff spot despite budget limitations that kept them from doing much of significance until they added on a backloaded four-year deal. Cease worked 189 1/3 innings of 3.47 ERA ball during his first season in San Diego. He struck out 29.4% of opponents and fanned 224 hitters overall his fourth consecutive season above the 200 mark. The Padres and Cease agreed to a $13.75MM salary for his final arbitration season. Hed be a lock for a qualifying offer when he hits free agency next winter unle s the Friars deal him midseason, which would make him ineligible to receive the QO. Cease will be heading into his age-30 season and could command a contract above $200MM. While the Padres dont seem optimistic about their chances of re-signing him, theyd obviously take a major downgrade to this years rotation if they trade him. Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Orioles and Cubs were monitoring the rotation market. Baltimore will begin the season without . Chicagos rotation hasnt taken any huge injury hits, though theyll be without for a few weeks. Theyre with free agent , whod be a much le s costly but far lower-upside addition at the back of the rotation. The Mets ( , ) and Yankees ( , ) have each lost multiple starters to injuries this spring. It has been particularly rough in the Bronx. Gil will likely mi s the first half of the season with a lat strain. Cole will be out into the middle of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Neverthele s, respective baseball operations leaders David Stearns and Brian Cashman have indicated the New York teams are content with their internal options to weather those lo ses. Boston already parted with two top prospects to add an impact starter in the deal. Toronto and Tampa Bay have rotations that arguably each run six deep. The Jays are likely to use in long relief. The Rays one of their starters to settle on a five-man group. That could theoretically position Toronto or Tampa Bay to include a controllable starter in a Cease package, though theres nothing to suggest the Padres are in anything more than due diligence mode with Opening Day two weeks off. Domantas Sabonis Jersey