The San Diego Padres are coming off a deep playoff run with some roster uncertainty for 2025.
With a projected $193 million payroll and a pending lawsuit regarding ownership of the team, it seems likely that the Padres will be looking to shed some significant contracts moving forward. The Athletic’s Dennis Lin has reported that the team could be looking to trade players facing lucrative free agency bids next winter, with ace Dylan Cease potentially on the block.
“While the Padres still harbor some hope of eventually extending (Michael) King, they are not under the assumption they will be able to afford Cease beyond 2025,” per Lin. “In a potential trade, they would seek multiple controllable players, the same kind of return they received for (Juan) Soto.”
Predicting a blockbuster midseason trade for Bleacher Report, Tim Kelly tabbed the Padres as the destination for 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara, who would give them a chance to build on their postseason success at a relatively small cost in the likely absence of Cease.
“If Dylan Cease is traded this spring, Alcántara would replace his presence in the rotation,” Kelly wrote. “Even if Cease is retained for his contract year, adding Alcántara would give the Padres an ace in their rotation beyond 2025, assuming Cease leaves in free agency after the season.”
After earning his second-career All-Star nod, Most Valuable Player Award votes and the National League Cy Young Award with the Miami Marlins in 2021, Alcántara missed much of 2023 and all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery.
But if he makes a healthy return to open 2025, he will be the Marlins’ most coveted trade chip as the team undergoes an extensive rebuild. After signing a $56 million extension with the Marlins, Alcántara is owed $11.2 million in each of the next two seasons, then has a $21 million club option for 2027, making him an affordable ace if he does bounce back from his injury.
Alcántara’s contract situation also makes him an intriguing fit for the Padres, given the kinds of moves that their president of baseball operations, AJ Preller, tends to make.
“What could also transpire is that the Padres trade for Alcántara, keep him through the 2026 season and then after picking up his $21 million option for 2027, they shop him in advance of what would be his contract year,” Kelly added. “That seems to be the blueprint that Preller follows.”
Whether the Padres end up trading away their current ace or lose him in free agency as they reportedly expect, swinging a blockbuster trade for Alcántara could land a formidable replacement at an affordable cost.
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