The Chicago Cubs haven’t made the playoffs in any of the past four seasons.
Even after changing managers from David Ross to Craig Counsell, the Cubs still finished with a 83-79 record for the second year in a row. Now they’re hoping a few offseason changes can help push this team back into the postseason.
Their best move may be yet to come.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Cubs are actively discussing a trade for San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease.
“What I was told yesterday from sources is that one team to watch in the potential of moving Dylan Cease, the Chicago Cubs," Morosi said. "Why the Cubs? They’ve got seven of the top 100 prospects, according to MLBpipeline.com. Pay extra attention here.”
The Cubs have spoken with the Padres about Dylan Cease, as I reported on #MLBNHotStove this morning. https://t.co/JGynIJclhY
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 30, 2025
Cease finished in fourth place of the National League Cy Young Award voting last season, and he previously was the runner-up to win the American League Cy Young in 2022 with the Chicago White Sox. Topping 200 strikeouts in each of his past four seasons, Cease would add a significant amount of juice to the Cubs’ pitching staff, where he’d form a strong trio with Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele.
In the last year of his contract, making $13.7 million, Cease might call for a trade from the Padres before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Meanwhile, the Cubs could be an ideal long-term landing spot for the right-handed starting pitcher.
More MLB News: Yankees projected opening day lineup following latest from Aaron Boone