It hasn’t been a great year for San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease. The Padres ace hasn’t thrown the baseball at the level he expected when entering the season, and it was the worst time to do so.
The former Chicago White Sox starter has the opportunity to hit the open market this winter, and just a few years ago, many viewed him as an ace who could get $200 million.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report had the same thoughts, noting that now, however, he’s likely looking at $100 million.
“A $200 million contract might have been a possibility for Cease once, but he’s probably looking at something in the $100 million range now. A good contract model for a talented, yet volatile starter is the six-year, $162 million pact Carlos Rodón (another Boras client) signed after the 2022 season,” he wrote.
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As Rymer touched on, if he can walk away with $162 million, and Scott Boras is the best in the world for a reason, despite many teams not liking to work with him, it’d be a great job from the top agent in Major League Baseball.
A side of the story suggests that Cease hasn’t been as bad as his base numbers look. His ERA isn’t great, and there are other factors, but he’s still showing above-average stuff, evident by his 169 strikeouts in 129.1 innings.
It’ll likely come down to how desperate teams are for starting pitching during the offseason, which should play in his favor.
Every team is always looking for a solid arm; if he’s at his best, he’s an ace.
