A look at how the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Angels match up in a potential trade for Dylan Cease and/or Robert Suarez.

The San Diego Padres are shopping Dylan Cease. And apparently Robert Suarez is also the subject of trade talks.

Cease is a free agent at the end of the season and most realize there is no way the Padres can secure his services long-term.

For the Padres, it may be better to just move the ace-like pitcher now to maximize the return. Don’t buy into the latest reports, if A.J. Preller gets a deal he likes, the Padres will move Cease.

There is no shortage of organizations who are interested in the pitcher. The Mets, Cubs, Orioles and Braves have all been linked to Cease. The question is which team will ante up and pay the asking price for the right-handed pitcher. A.J. Preller is savvy when it comes to trades and the feeling is the Padres will get what they covet, eventually.

A surprise team who makes sense for Cease is the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels are attempting not to waste Mike Trout‘s tenure with the team and would surely love to add Cease to their rotation. Presently Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano are viewed as the best starting pitchers on the Angels staff. Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks make up two more members of the unit, but nobody is an opposing force on the mound.

Cease would immediately anchor the staff for Los Angeles.

Then you can factor in that the Padres are starting to take offers on Robert Suarez. The closer will make $10 million in 2025 and then has two years of player options for $8 million each season. At this point, the Padres bullpen is not a weakness. The Padres may view dealing Suarez as a more palatable choice before the start of the season.

The Angels would welcome the right-handed pitcher as he would help solidify the unit. But what would it cost for Cease or Suarez?

The immediate player of interest is Reid Detmers. The lefty spent a lot of the 2024 season in the minors as the Angels grew frustrated with his inconsistencies.

Detmers is 25 and went 4-9 last season with a 6.70 ERA and a dreadful 1.557 WHIP in 17 starts in the majors. He pitched for the Angels from April until early June and then was sent to Triple-A. While in the minors, his numbers only improved slightly as the lefty went 6-6 with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.397 WHIP at Triple-A Salt Lake. He was recalled in September by Los Angeles and allowed 22 earned runs in five starts and 24.1 innings pitched. Not ideal.

The though process is that Ruben Niebla may be able to harness something in Detmers to gain some consistency with his arsenal. Detmers is a former first-round pick in 2020 (10th overall). The Angels may be hesitant to trade him, but another horrible year would surely kill any trade value left in the pitcher.

The Angels also have a bunch of outfielders on their roster who may be of interest to the Padres.

Jorge Soler was acquired this winter, and he will surely play. Mike Trout is locked in center for the team and hopefully he is none with health issues that have plagued him. The Angels also have Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak, and Jo Adell on the roster. There is depth at the outfield position for the Angels.

Ward is the most tantalizing player of the three mentioned. The 31-year-old outfielder is not a free agent until after the 2026 season and has over 1,900 at-bats at the major league level. He has spent his whole major league career with the Angels as the right-handed hitter debuted in 2018 with Los Angeles. Last season, Ward slugged a career-high 25 homers and drove in 75 runs for the Angels. He put up a .748 OPS in 156 games.

Mickey Moniak is a former first overall selection. The Phillies use the first pick in the 2016 draft to take the outfield out of La Costa Canyon High School in San Diego. The left-handed bat struggled immediately in the minors with the Phillies and never produced for the club. He was dealt to the Angels in 2022 in a deal for Noah Syndergaard.

Moniak produced a .646 OPS last season in 124 games and 392 at-bats. The main issue with Moniak is he refuses to walk. In 763 at-bats with the Angels in two seasons, he has walked 31 times while striking out 252 times. For a minimal power threat, those numbers are atrocious. Moniak is 26, but he would need to make major swing adjustments to become a successful major leaguer. He is under team control for the next three years.

Jo Adell has all the tools for dominance, but he has yet to put it all together. The natural center fielder is blessed with a rocket arm and plus speed. He is a great defender. There is power in his bat, but Adell owns a career .211 batting average in 985 at-bats at the major league level. Adell slugged 20 bombs last year and stole 15 bases in 130 games for the Angels. He showed glimpse of his potential but could not play with any real consistency.

The 25-year-old would be an interesting selection for the Padres, but he is hardly a safe bet to be productive in 2025. Adell struck out 126 times last season while only walking 35 times producing a .280 on-base percentage. If he can be a little more patient at the plate, he may be able to salvage his career. Adell is under team control through the 2027 season which is helpful to the Padres. Does San Diego believe he can ultimately reach his potential. That remains to be seen.

Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez will command a decent haul of players. The Padres will surely check in with each time multiple times as they negotiate. If the Padres can land two or three players who will contribute in 2025, a deal with the Angels may be fruitful. The Padres would not hesitate to throw in a prospect or two to even out any potential trade. Anything is possible.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.