With the big-money free agent signing of Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox’s offseason grade quickly rose from the high-C/low-B area to around an A-. He’s the right-handed bat Fenway Park has been looking for, not to mention the senior and championship-caliber leadership he gives to a clubhouse full of young players. The Red Sox now appear like contenders.
Some fans were surprised to learn that Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front management may not be done yet. Jared Carrabis of Underdog was questioned if Boston would continue their offseason aggression by attempting to broker a trade with the San Diego Padres for Michael King. As someone familiar with the Red Sox, it’s worth noting that his response was that he believes Boston wants to attempt to sign Dylan Cease, the other Padres starter who could be on the move.
That doesn’t guarantee the Red Sox will pursue a Cease trade with the Padres, but after signing Bregman and Walker Buehler, as well as trading for Garrett Crochet, you can’t rule out Breslow and John Henry at this point. The farm system is still stocked with potential, making a deal for a Cy Young contender possible.
But what if it wasn’t just Cease? The Red Sox have the ideal package to perhaps go even more aggressive and convince the Padres to trade more than simply an ace with an expiring contract. Specifically, they could try to sign Robert Suarez.
Red Sox trade for Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez in mock blockbuster with Padres
In addition to Cease, the Padres could offer Boston the back-end bullpen arm that the front office is still looking for in Suarez, a veteran. Here’s an example of a prospective deal between the Red Sox and the Friars.
The Red Sox side of the equation is very self-explanatory. Cease was the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2022 with Chicago, struggled in 2023 until dominating in San Diego in 2024 with a 3.47 ERA and a no-hitter. Putting him in the rotation alongside Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito would offer Boston starting pitching depth rivaled only by the Dodgers and Mariners.
As for Suarez, there’s a reason Breslow and fans continue to demand a bullpen arm. Throwing in a guy who would be the clear-cut closer after registering 36 saves with the Padres last season with a 2.77 ERA and 1.046 WHIP to be the exclamation point on a group that includes Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Liam Hendriks, Aroldis Chapman, and others would turn a 2024 weakness into a decisive strength.
The Padres would have to be intrigued by such an offer. Miguel Bleis is a Top 10 prospect in one of baseball’s top farm systems, despite being mostly blocked in the Red Sox system. He has exceptionally high batting potential. Dorian Soto was signed in the 2025 international free agency class, but his upside is evident, and he would also fit into San Diego’s long-term infield timetable, with Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts in place for the foreseeable future.
More importantly, this deal would allow the Padres to continue AJ Preller’s strategy of restructuring while contending with Kutter Crawford and Wilyer Abreu. Crawford is not Cease, of course, but as a replacement with four years of cheap club control remaining, he provides a good foundation as a rotation option. Meanwhile, Abreu adds outfield depth with Gold Glove fielding and a bat that has shown effective against right-handed pitching and may have untapped potential at the plate.
The Suarez part of the equation may complicate the Red Sox’s ability to complete such a trade, since he still has three years on his contract with an option after the 2025 season. However, if Boston increases their offer to something like this in order to make that happen, they will undoubtedly rocket into the ranks of World Series contenders, if not more seriously than they are presently.
