The San Diego Padres didn\u2019t just miss out on Dylan Cease, they watched the exact line of their comfort level get drawn in permanent marker.<\/p>\n
Seven years and $210 million with deferrals was always going to be too rich for a team already tied up in long-term money. The Padres might need a frontline starter, but they don\u2019t need another contract that could clog the books well into the next competitive window.<\/p>\n
The good news? There are still paths to replacing Cease\u2019s production without paying for his name value. If A.J. Preller is willing to live in the uncomfortable middle of the market \u2014 shorter deals, bounce-backs, and trades for \u201cimperfect\u201d arms, San Diego can rebuild the top and middle of the rotation at a fraction of Cease\u2019s price.<\/p>\n
Here are three far cheaper options who could help seamlessly replace what the Padres were hoping to get from Cease.<\/p>\n
3 cheaper pitching options who could replace Dylan Cease for the PadresZac Gallen<\/p>\n
On talent alone, Zac Gallen is exactly the type of pitcher the Padres<\/a> wish they could drop in behind their current staff: a former Cy Young finalist with true No. 1 upside when he\u2019s right.<\/p>\n After a down 2025, though, Gallen is unlikely to command a Gerrit Cole\u2013esque megadeal. That opens the door for a front office like San Diego\u2019s, which desperately needs ceiling but can\u2019t justify another decade-long commitment. A short-term, high-AAV \u201cprove-it\u201d contract could make sense for both sides.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not a consolation prize. He\u2019s a different route to the same goal.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Drew Rasmussen<\/p>\n