This past offseason the San Francisco Giants showed they would be willing to pursue top-dollar free agents under first-year president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
One pursuit worked out. The Giants signed shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year deal worth $182 million, the largest deal in team history.
Another pursuit did not turn out that way. San Francisco was on pitcher Corbin Burnes, but he ended up signing a six-year deal worth $210 million.
Next offseason, the Giants can take another swing in free agency, and there will be at least one big prize out there worth pursuing — right-handed starting pitcher Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres.
Recently, CBS Sports started prepping for next offseason’s free agency cycle by ranking the Top 10 potential free agents, led by current Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The 29-year-old Cease was ranked third and was the highest-ranked pitcher. If he makes it to free agency, it would be his first swing at exploring the market.
Along with the rankings, CBS took a stab at projecting what each free agent might make on the open market. Burnes was at the top of the market this offseason, but in terms of total money he didn’t receive the largest deal.
That honor went to New York Yankees starter Max Fried, who signed an eight-year contract worth $218 million.
Does that help Cease? Not in the estimation of CBS. The site projects that Cease will make $160 million on a five-year deal, with an average annual value of $32 million. That deal wouldn’t be the most valuable in Giants history.
San Francisco has a adjusted payroll of $126 million and, with $97 million in tax space, there is plenty of room to make a play for Cease, who will be highly pursued in free agency.
Cease has been a popular trade target the past two seasons and that’s how he ended with the Padres last season, as he went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts with 224 strikeouts and 65 walks. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting.
Before the Padres, he was with the Chicago White Sox for five seasons, where he gave them consistent performances once he gained a foothold in the rotation in 2021. His best season was in 2022 when he finished with an AL-best 6.4 wins above replacement while going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA. He struck out 227 and walked 78. He finished second in AL Cy Young voting.
For his Major League career, he is 57-46 with a 3.75 ERA with 1,016 strikeouts and 359 walks.
He was the Chicago Cubs’ sixth-round pick in the 2014 MLB draft out of Milton High School in Milton, Ga.
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