The MLB trade deadline is almost one month away, and the San Diego Padres are expected to be active. While there are plenty of rumors about the Padres targeting a catcher or left field help, the Padres could also look to improve their starting rotation.

However, MLB.com writer Mark Feinsand predicted that the Padres would make a strange decision with Dylan Cease at the trade deadline. He predicted that the Padres could look to move Cease and shake up their rotation.

"Dylan Cease is in the final year before free agency," Feinsand writes. "So perhaps [A.J.] Preller will look to move him for more controllable arms."

This proposition from Feinsand is a strange one. While the Padres could make such a move work, it'd be a huge risk to take, especially with the team looking to contend in 2025. Trading Cease, who's been one of the best pitchers on the Padres in 2025, would be an odd move to make.

While he hasn't been his usual self in 2025, sitting at a 4.43 ERA and a 3-6 record, Cease is still capable of great performances. In a market without high-end starters, nor controllable ones like those mentioned by Feinsand as targets for the Padres, a trade doesn't make sense.

Shipping off an aging veteran who's struggled this season for a younger, cheaper, more controllable piece is a great move in theory. But, there isn't any player who fits the bill for the Padres. Even if there was, it'd be a huge risk, especially since Cease has proven to be a solid starter, despite a couple of rough outings in 2025.

Cease is the Padres' top starter now that Michael King is out. With both set to hit free agency after 2025, the Padres should be looking for ways to contend this season, not shake things up to spread out their window. It's a strange prediction, but something to monitor leading up to the deadline.