The Padres have spoken to several teams about the po sibility of trading right-hander , ESPNs Buster Olney. The Cubs, Mets and multiple AL East clubs have had some talks with San Diego, per the report. Separately, Olneys colleague that Cease has come up in trade talks, though thats framed as other clubs approaching the Padres and not expre sly being turned away. Whether the Padres have initiated talks or whether theyre simply hearing other teams out, the po sibility of trading Cease speaks to multiple challenges for San Diego over the next week-plus. The Friars farm system is not particularly well regarded beyond its top two prospects, and the team is ostensibly reluctant to part with either or . That leaves the Padres with a fairly light slate of prospects from which to deal. Talks surrounding Cease could also reflect what looked to be the case in the late stages of the offseason: the Padres baseball operations staff does not appear to have much financial firepower at its disposal. The new-look ownership structure hasnt been as keen to spend as the late Peter Seidler. Theyre still well north of the luxury tax threshold, but the teams actual cash payroll is down considerably from its 2023 peak. The Padres late-offseason dealings put a spotlight on that lack of resources. s four-year, $55MM deal pays him just $4MM in the first season of the contract. Catcher ($3.5MM), lefty ($1.5MM) and outfielders ($1MM) and ($1MM) signed one-year contracts valued at a combined $7MM. Their other late additions included minor league deals for , , and Christian Yelich Jersey . Each cracked the big league roster at the end of camp, but Iglesias $3MM base salary was the largest of the bunch. Trading Cease while still aiming to contend might seem counterintuitive, but the Padres could accomplish multiple goals, in theory. Hes an impending free agent whos earning $13.75MM this season with about $4.95MM of that sum yet to be paid out. Trimming nearly $5MM off the books would create a decent bit of money to pursue upgrades behind the plate, in left field and perhaps on the bench all areas of need. Itd also net some prospects of note, any of whom could subsequently be flipped to another team to addre s various needs on the roster. Of course, moving Cease would also further deplete a perilously thin rotation. has been out nearly two months due to shoulder inflammation, and is out all season following last years Tommy John surgery. With Cease out of the picture, the Padres would be left with Pivetta, , , and rookie in the rotation at least until King returns. Its not a great group, and the depth beyond it is shaky at best. To that end, that even while discu sing Cease, the Padres have been in contact with the Orioles about right-hander , whos widely expected to be traded between now and July 31. Mortons $15MM salary is even larger than that of Cease, so presumably the Padres would be interested only if the Orioles were to include cash to offset a portion of the deal (likely enough so San Diego would owe a good bit le s than the $4.95MM left on Ceases contract). Morton got out to a terrible start this season but has posted terrific numbers over his past 12 appearances overall (even including a seven-run hiccup his last time out). Since May 10, hes posted a 3.47 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate, a 7.7% walk rate and a 44.2% grounder rate. Metrics like FIP (3.30) and SIERA (3.49) generally support his resurgence. Over that span, Morton has actually outpitched Cease, though Ceases power arsenal, track record and sustained ability to mi s bats would still hold greater appeal to most clubs on the lookout for rotation upgrades. Cease hasnt had his best season but has been generally solid since a catastrophic nine-run drubbing in his third start of the year. Dating back to April 14, Cease has pitched 99 innings with a 4.09 ERA, a 30% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. His swinging-strike rate in that time is nearly 17% a ma sive mark and hes averaging better than 97 mph on his heater. Hes had some struggles with runners on base this year and at least a little bit of batted-ball misfortune (.319 compared to his .290 mark entering the season), but Cease is still throwing hard, mi sing bats at a plus rate and limiting walks at an average clip. For any of the Cubs, Mets or any AL East contender, hed very likely step right into a theoretical playoff rotation, barring a late injury or substantial downturn in results. Milwaukee Brewers Jersey