Padres General manager A.J. Preller Revealed A “Shocking Thing” About His Squad That He Must Be The…

Padres General manager A.J. Preller Revealed A “Shocking Thing” About His Squad That He Must Be The…

SAN DIEGO — In the hours leading up to the Trade Deadline on Thursday, Dylan Cease was still drawing plenty of interest from opposing teams. Even after the Padres had swung five trades moving a combined 22 players, they continued to mull the possibility of another blockbuster.

But their asking price for Cease was high, and they were determined to keep it that way. When it became clear that no opposing team would meet that price, they made a decision.

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“Our best team,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller would later say, “has Dylan Cease on it.”

Hard to argue after a day like Sunday. In his first start since the Deadline, Cease pitched five scoreless, one-hit innings and struck out nine Cardinals in the Padres’ 7-3 victory at Petco Park

“I really just want to contribute,” Cease said. “We have a great team. We feel good about ourselves. I