The San Diego Padres have a lot of money tied up in their star position players, which handicaps them in free agency. It’s why they’re likely to lose Dylan Cease or Michael King in free agency.
Both pitchers are free agents this winter, and they’re both projected to sign lofty deals. King is bound to be a lot more affordable, so the Padres could be forced to pursue him while letting Cease head into free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly recently projected Cease would sign a huge five-year, $125 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles this winter.
“If Cease had matched his 2022 or 2024 season in a contract year, he likely would have been looking at a $200 million contract,” Kelly wrote. “He won’t get that this offseason, but with five consecutive seasons of 165 or more innings and a very high ceiling, he should have no problem clearing $100 million and potentially getting an opt-out clause that allows him to return to the open market in a few years if he chooses.
“The Orioles are a team that’s desperate for frontline starting pitching, and owner David Rubenstein has consistently talked about president of baseball operations Mike Elias having the financial backing to help Baltimore compete in the AL East. Well, here’s a great test of that.”
The Orioles need to make some huge changes.
They have the core of position players to make a run for a World Series, but their unit is only going to be around for a handful of years. Baltimore currently doesn’t have the pitching to contend with the top teams in the league, but if it can sign Cease from the Padres, it will have a lot better chance.
