Good news! Manager Carlos Mendoza confirms.
The New York Mets will begin the season without pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. While both are expected to return, the team may still seek to bolster their starting rotation. CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa identified San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease as a prime trade candidate before the deadline, with the Mets as a potential landing spot.
Axisa noted that many high-priced Padres players without no-trade clauses have been involved in trade rumors, including Cease. He suggested that San Diego’s financial situation could make a trade possible even if the team remains competitive. Cease is set to earn $13.75 million in 2025, his final year under team control, and the Padres could move him in exchange for younger, cost-effective players.
Even with a fully healthy rotation, the Mets still trail behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in terms of pitching strength. Cease, a Cy Young-caliber pitcher, has finished in the top five of voting twice in his career. He placed fourth in last year’s NL Cy Young race with a 3.47 ERA and 224 strikeouts. Over the past four seasons, he has maintained a 3.40 ERA and made at least 30 starts each year. He was also the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2022.
With free agency looming after this season, the Padres may hold onto Cease as long as possible, but whether now or closer to the deadline, acquiring him would require a significant trade package.
2025 MLB Contender Tiers
It’s that time of year again—time to gear up for the 2025 baseball season by categorizing all 30 teams into loosely defined tiers. Let’s call it The Tiers of Baseball—it has a nice ring to it.
These tiers are generally arranged from strongest to weakest, but not in a strict order based on projected wins or playoff odds. Instead, the goal is to group similar teams together, which means there’s a bit of a subjective, “vibes-based” element involved. For instance, while St. Louis may not be among the five worst teams, their placement will make sense once you see the full list.
And let’s be real—there’s only one team at the top this year. Whether you love them or hate them, you already know who it is.
