Admittedly, Padres right-hander Dylan Cease could breathe a bit easier after Thursday’s trade deadline passed.
But the deadline did not consume the 29-year-old right-hander.
At least not in the way you might think.
He got in his work in the morning at Petco Park, played catch on the field and then went about his day like any other.
Cease has gotten good at tumbling so ferociously in the rumor mill — so much so that he’s not certain he needs a no-trade clause when he reaches free agency after the season.
“I haven’t even thought about it,” Cease said. “Maybe I’m used to it now. It’s exciting. So we’ll keep it going every year.”
Cease first began to consistently pop up in trade rumors heading into the 2023 trade deadline. The White Sox hung onto him then. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller spared Cease of a full year of speculation when he acquired him just before the start of the 2024 season.
Cease’s status as a pending free agent on a team that might have needed to free up money put him back in limbo — and back in the rumor bill.
Preller made sure to talk with Cease on Wednesday before the off-day/trade deadline.
The gist: “Just letting him know that from our standpoint, it’s this time of year, you hear a lot of speculation,” Preller said. “It’s the trade deadline. You’re always going to pick up your phone … (but) when we made the trade last spring training, it was designed toward multiple postseason runs. Our best team has Dylan Cease on it.”
Cease appreciated the talk, even if it was unnecessary.
“I told him basically, ‘You don’t have to worry about me,’” Cease said. “I understand. It’s part of everything.”
And at the end of all of it, Cease remains in the Padres’ rotation. It was reason to smile Friday as he walked back into the clubhouse he’ll continue to call home as the Padres push for a postseason spot.
“I’m very excited,” Cease said. “We made a lot of — obviously — a lot of moves. We’ve got a stacked team now, so I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
Championship depth?
A day after a frenzied trade deadline, Jose Iglesias walked into a reenergized clubhouse at Petco Park and found his name in the lineup, just as it had been the last time the Padres faced a left-hander.
Only this time, it’s not just Gavin Sheets ready to come off the bench. It’s All-Star Ryan O’Hearn, too.
In fact, of the three bats that the Padres acquired, only left fielder Ramon Laureano, a right-handed hitter, was in the starting lineup on Friday against Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore.
“Championship teams have depth, for sure,” said Iglesias, who started at DH on Friday. “Teams I’ve been through, we’re going to need everybody at some point. Up and down. Even someone in El Paso right now, we’re going to need them at some point. It’s good to have. I’m pretty sure Mike (Shildt) is pretty happy about it, to look over his shoulder and have options to put the team in a really good position to succeed.”
Notable
- To make room for the newcomers who arrived on Friday, INF/OF Tyler Wade was designated for assignment and right-hander Ron Marinaccio was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. A day earlier, INF Trenton Brooks and C Martín Maldonado were designated for assignment and INF Will Wagner, acquired from the Blue Jays ahead of Thursday’s deadline, was optioned to El Paso. Wade was hitting .206/.309/.252 in this second year with the Padres. This stint began with the Padres designating him for assignment before opening day, passing him through waivers, keeping him at El Paso and calling on him when injuries struck in April. Marinaccio struck out four over 2⅔ scoreless innings during this first stint with the Padres.
- RHP Michael King (shoulder, nerve) will start a rehab assignment on Sunday for Triple-A El Paso at Round Rock. He threw about 40 pitches and got up three times in Monday’s simulated game at Petco Park.
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