Can Mets land this ace via trade? Their ex-GM proposes a trade to make it happen
The Mets are still lacking a true No. 1 starter.
One such starter, Padres ace Dylan Cease, is available on the trade market, and San Diego’s asking price is a little steep.
On Tuesday, former Mets general manager Jim Duquette, who was part of a panel on SNY’s “Baseball Night in New York,” built a proposal that might “pique their interest.”
The Mets would get Cease from the Padres for right-hander Tylor Megill, No. 1 prospect Jett Williams and No. 23 prospect Ronald Hernandez (MLB Pipeline).
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“It would be a package similar to that I think that would at least get them interested,” Duquette said, via X/Twitter.
Duquette’s trade proposal was based on what the Orioles gave up for right-hander Corbin Burnes last year. In that trade, Baltimore gave the Milwaukee Brewers left-hander DL Hall, infielder Joey Ortiz and a comp-round draft pick.
Last Thursday, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that the Mets have “been trying for Padres rental ace Dylan Cease (and presumably would also consider rotation mate Michael King).”
Since then, San Diego has signed King, who the Yankees traded to the Padres for Juan Soto last winter, to a one-year, $7.75 million extension with a $15 million mutual option for 2026 avoiding arbitration. The deal includes a $3.75 million buyout, guaranteeing King at least $11.5 million.
This would indicate that King is off the trading block. But there’s still a chance for Cease, who’s finished in the Top 5 of that Cy Young Award voting twice in the last three years.
“You’d empty the cupboard for the mustache alone, wouldn’t you?” Duquette joked.
