The San Diego Padres have a lot of money wrapped up in their stars. Because of that, it’s going to be very difficult for them to re-sign Dylan Cease when he lands in free agency at the end of the year.

Michael King and Cease are both expected to land in free agency, and the Padres will likely only have the money to sign one of them. With Cease being slightly younger with a higher ceiling, he’ll be more expensive, which makes him less likely to return to San Diego.

MLB’s Mark Feinsand recently suggested Cease could betray the Padres and sign a contract in free agency with the rival San Francisco Giants during the upcoming offseason.

“Cease has struggled with consistency this season, posting a 5-11 record and 4.61 ERA in 25 starts. His velocity, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage all remain near the top of the league rankings, though walks and a lack of ground balls have hurt him at times,” Feinsand wrote. “Cease remains one of the most durable starters in the game — he’s on track for his fifth straight season with at least 32 starts — and will surely draw interest from a number of pitching-needy clubs.”

The Giants have everything a team needs to win the World Series except pitching depth. This issue got even worse after trading away three arms to land Rafael Devers, but Devers will be worth it in the long run.

Either way, San Francisco needs an ace, and Cease would fit perfectly. Stealing him from the rival Padres would make the move even sweeter for the Giants.

San Francisco could afford to give him a deal worth over $150 million. Spotrac projects the righty to sign for $156 million over six years. That’s a deal the Giants can hand out without sweating too hard.

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