San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease received a contract update ahead of free agency from Spotrac, which has him slated to earn $155 million over six years.
The contract amounts to an average salary of $26 million and ranks 10th in market value among starting pitchers, per Spotrac’s projections.
Cease is currently on a one-year, $13.75 million contract with the Padres, who will also have starting pitcher Michael King hit free agency this offseason. San Diego likely won’t be able to re-sign both, and Cease is expected to be the odd man out.
Cease’s impending free agency
Cease has had a down season in San Diego, holding a 7-11 record and a 4.71 ERA over 29 starts. But the 29-year-old righty has shown flashes of brilliance during his seven-year career, highlighted by his no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on July 25, 2024.
Cease’s most appealing trait is likely his durability—he’s made at least 30 starts the past four seasons and is on track to do the same this year. That’s in stark contrast to King, who has better numbers but consistently struggles to stay healthy.
Spotrac compares Cease’s market value to other contracts signed in recent years by these stars: Arizona’s Corbin Burnes (six-year, $210 million), the Yankees’ Max Fried (eight-year, $218M), Boston’s Garrett Crochet (six-year, $170M) and the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow (five-year, $136M).
That’s good company for Cease, who boasts a career 3.89 ERA over 185 starts with the Chicago White Sox and Padres. And with the postseason quickly approaching, Cease still has plenty of opportunity to increase his worth even further.