According to Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Minnesota Twins were among the major league teams interested in trading for San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease in recent days. Despite the Twins' overwhelming amount of right-handed pitchers, Cease is a dynamic pitcher who would complement a solid rotation of Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, and Joe Ryan. Landing Cease was considered a long shot in the analysis, but still, seeing the front office active is a welcome sight.
Unfortunately for Twins fans who have created dream trade scenarios surrounding Cease, one local insider claimed that there's no traction to the rumor.
When asked about the Cease rumors, Darren Wolfson on Tuesday's SKOR North podcast said, "There's nothing going on on Dylan Cease. There just isn't. It could change, I guess, right? Never say never."
Wolfson's update should not be a surprise, given how quiet the Twins offseason has been. As of this writing, the Twins have not signed an MLB free agent to a major league contract. Still, it would be nice to see the front office strike a deal to land a notable MLB name for the upcoming season.
Don't expect Minnesota Twins to trade for Dylan Cease
Given the $10 million he's owed in 2025, the Twins considered moving Christian Vázquez to the Padres in a trade. San Diego has stated that they would not take on the entire salary, so the Twins would have to eat some of Vazquez's salary if he were moved to San Diego; the Padres adding Elias Diaz likely puts the kibosh on this idea anyhow.
The asking price for Cease has long been considered exorbitant. Therefore, it's possible that the Padres expressed additional interest in either Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, or Luke Keaschall. Those prospects were considered untradeable by the Twins front office, so that might have been a deal killer. That, of course, is pure speculation.
Landing Cease would make the Twins' starting rotation one of the most formidable in the American League, but such a trade appears to be wishful thinking for Minnesota fans. Wolfson's report makes it unlikely he will be in a Twins uniform. Technically, there still is a chance for a deal to get done, but it's difficult to imagine the Twins swinging a deal for a player of Cease's caliber without giving up a top prospect.