Don't expect Guardians to be in the mix for Padres pitcher

The one area that could be addressed by the Cleveland Guardians that would make everyone feel a lot better about their chances in 2025? Starting rotation. One move of note could take a rotation that seems a bit shaky at the moment to being one of the strengths of their roster. There is even one pitcher who could be moved that would help them accomplish this, but unfortunately, it does not seem particularly likely to happen.

There are a couple of players that the San Diego Padres are considering trading, with starting pitcher Dylan Cease being one of them. Cease would be a perfect addition to Cleveland's rotation if they could swing a deal for the 29-year-old right-hander. With that being said, do not get your hopes up.

The Akron Beacon Journal's Ryan Lewis recently tackled this exact subject but does not believe the Guardians will be in the mix for Cease, "As for the Guardians, a potential Cease trade would likely need to be considered as, well, unlikely. He'll almost certainly walk to free agency after 2025 unless he's immediately given a long-term extension, which seems unlikely in Cleveland.".

By now, everyone is more than familiar with the way the Guardians prefer to operate. The problem is the financial commitment, in addition to who they would have to trade to San Diego to acquire his services, is simply too much for Cleveland's front office to feel comfortable with.

Adding Cease into their current group of starters would not only stabilize their rotation but elevate it to the next level. With Cleveland's offensive production most likely taking a sizeable hit with Josh Naylor being swapped out for Carlos Santana, leaning into pitching being the primary reason they win games might be the way to go. If they are incapable of keeping up with the best offenses in the sport, they might as well try to shut them down to give them a chance, and acquiring Cease would help in their efforts to do so. This only makes their unlikeliehood of trading for Cease even more frustrating.

Until Cease (or anyone else) is traded for salary-shedding purposes, the Guardians cannot be truly considered out. But when taking their past activity and how they are expected to operate in mind, it is best for anyone not to get their hopes up about Cease landing in Cleveland.