The New York Mets will be without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas to start the season. Although both are expected to return, the Mets may still want to strengthen their starting rotation. CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa named San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease as an early candidate to be traded before the trade deadline. He also named the Mets as a potential suitor.

“Just about every Padre who is making real money and doesn’t have a no-trade clause has been mentioned in trade rumors the last few months, including Cease,” wrote Axisa. “Normally I would say San Diego will have to fall out of the race for a trade to become a real possibility, though I’m not sure that’s the case here. Money is obviously tight — you only need to look at how Michael King’s and Nick Pivetta’s contracts are structured to see that — and Cease will make a healthy $13.75 million in 2025, his final year of team control. Is there an avenue for the Padres to trade Cease for multiple younger and cheaper players? Yes.”

Even with Manaea and Montas healthy, the Mets starting rotation is nowhere near as strong as the one belonging to their biggest threat in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cease is a Cy Young Award caliber pitcher, finishing top five in voting twice in his career. Last season he finished fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting with a 3.47 ERA and 224 strikeouts.

Cease has made 30-plus starts in each of the last four seasons and would instantly be the best pitcher on the Mets staff. He has a 3.40 ERA over the last four seasons and finished as the American League Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022.

He will be a free agent after the season and the Padres may look to stretch their time with him as long as they can, but, whether it’s now or in the summer, Cease will demand a decent package to acquire.