Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggested the Twins consider a trade for Padres starter Dylan Cease.
“Currently, the Twins are one of two teams that have yet to sign a major-league free agent this offseason,” Hayes wrote. “Fans are clamoring for them to add to the roster.
“Cease is precisely what the Twins need.”
Last week, The Athletic reported that earlier this winter, the Twins explored a potential trade for Cease while in discussions with the Padres. Cease will be a free agent after 2025 and has twice finished in the top four of Cy Young award voting over the past three seasons.
However, there have been other reports suggesting the Padres have also discussed trades involving Cease and fellow starter Michael King. But, San Diego is demanding significant major-league value in return, making a deal unlikely, according to The Athletic.
Rival executives believe the Padres’ stance is influenced by the strong return they received from the Yankees for Juan Soto, who, like Cease, was entering his final year before free agency, reports Hayes.
With the launch of Twins.TV, Minnesota is hoping that their new options for streaming brings more fans back to watching games. With cable and streaming combined, the Twins could expand their viewing audience from 1.4 million households last season to 4.4 million in 2025, potentially more than tripling their reach.
Minnesota also needs to draw more fans to the ballpark and another star would help their case.
The Twins haven’t brought in two million fans at Target Field since 2019. While attendance was restricted in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, the team has struggled to draw crowds over the past three seasons.
Even after winning the 2023 AL Central title and remaining in contention until the final weekend of 2024, attendance still declined. The Twins drew 22,500 fewer fans in 2024 than the previous year, despite earlier projections suggesting they could surpass the two million mark.
Just a mention of acquiring Cease set Twins social media ablaze. While he is owed nearly $14 million, it could be worth it for Minnesota to explore further as San Diego would love to get rid of his salary.