The San Diego Padres hoped that Dylan Cease would be one of the better starters in Major League Baseball once again throughout the 2025 season. Unfortunately for Cease, his stuff just hasn't played at the level that it has for much of his career.
This year, the right-hander owns a 4.81 ERA, but he's also struck out 190 hitters in 146.0 innings. It isn’t that Cease has thrown the baseball at a poor level, as the stuff is still above average, but he's just getting hit more than he typically does.
Another issue that Cease will likely run into as he’s set to hit the free agency market is the fact that he doesn't go deep into games. Over the past 10 games, he's only thrown in more than 5.1 innings just twice.
Will Padres' Dylan Cease not get long-term contract?
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, because of his somewhat down year for his standards, he expects that Cease will take a short-term deal and attempt to regain his value.
He didn't say whether that would be with the Padres or not, but it could benefit San Diego if Cease takes a short-term deal.
“Dylan Cease, Padres, right-hander: The stuff remains elite, and front offices adore him despite a 4.71 ERA. He'll be 30 going into next season and is likely to be saddled with a qualifying offer, so he's a candidate for a shorter-term deal with multiple opt-outs unless a team falls in love and hands him a bag,” he wrote.
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Prior to his performance throughout 2025, Cease posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 33 games last year.
He went 14-11, striking out 224 hitters in 189.1 innings