Cease (3-2) took the loss against Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over six innings.

EDGE Analysis

Prior to Saturday, Cease hadn't given up more than two earned runs in any of his five starts and had pitched to a 1.82 ERA. That number ballooned to 2.78 after the outing against Philadelphia, with Alec Bohm accounting for four RBI against the right-hander. Despite the hiccup, Cease has been the Padres' most effective starter this season, and he'll look to bounce back into form in his next appearance, which projects to come on the road in Arizona.

Cease (3-1) earned the win over Colorado on Monday, allowing one run on one hit and no walks while striking out eight batters over seven innings.

EDGE Analysis

Cease dominated the Rockies' lineup, yielding just one hit -- a fourth-inning Charlie Blackmon leadoff double that Colorado converted into its only run. The veteran hurler has notched a win in each of his past three starts, giving up just two earned runs and five hits while striking out 22 batters over 19 frames during that stretch. Cease's lack of free passes Monday was also a positive development after he had issued multiple walks in each of his first four starts of the campaign, including five in his previous outing. Cease's season ERA now sits at a sterling 1.82, which is tied for 10th in MLB among qualified starters.

Cease (2-1) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits and five walks across six innings against the Brewers. He struck out seven.

EDGE Analysis

Cease got a little wild Tuesday and walked a handful of batters, but he put up his fourth straight start with two or fewer earned runs. The right-hander has also punched out seven in three consecutive appearances. Milwaukee's lone run against Cease came in the first frame when Jake Bauers plated Willy Adames on a double. Cease has been an excellent addition to the Padres rotation thus far, boasting a 1.99 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP across 22.2 innings. He's tentatively lined up for a start at Coors Field on Monday.

Cease (1-1) pitched six innings in a win over the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out seven.

EDGE Analysis

Cease was in control from the start Wednesday, striking out the first two batters he faced and allowing just two hits and a walk over the first four innings. Unfortunately, one of those hits went for a home run to score two runs for Chicago following a fielding error from Ha-Seong Kim, though those would be the only runs to come across for the Cubs in the contest. The right-hander allowed only two hits on the day and has now registered a 14:4 K:BB through two starts this month, going six innings in each of those outings. The home run in Wednesday's game was also the first he's allowed in three starts to open the campaign.

Cease came away with a no-decision in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Giants, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander uncorked two wild pitches and threw 64 of 102 pitches for strikes before exiting the mound, but Cease also generated 30 called or swinging strikes in his first quality start as a Padre. He's posted a 3.38 ERA and 13:4 K:BB through his first 10.2 innings this season, and Cease lines up to make his next start at home next week against the Cubs.

Cease (0-1) took the loss in his Padres debut Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks over 4.2 frames. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

Cease struck out three of the first four batters he faced but ran into trouble in the second with a walk and a couple doubles. He settled in after that but couldn't quite get through five as the Giants plated an unearned run. Cease picked up 12 whiffs on 85 pitches, with eight of them coming on his slider. The right-hander's fantasy outlook received a nice boost with a trade to the Padres, but his name winds up in the loss column in his debut.

The White Sox traded Cease to the Padres on Wednesday in exchange for Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, Steven Wilson and Samuel Zavala, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After recent pushes from the Rangers and Yankees to acquire Cease, the right-hander will ultimately end up in San Diego, giving a much-needed boost to a Padres rotation that lost Blake Snell, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo during the offseason. Following his brilliant 2022 campaign, Cease took a big step back in 2023 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 33 starts, though he still was able to rack up 214 strikeouts in 177 innings. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove have already been penciled in as the Padres' starters for their season-opening series versus the Dodgers in South Korea next week, but Cease could make his Friars debut when the team return to North America for its first domestic series with the Giants from March 28 through 31.

The Rangers and White Sox have engaged in trade discussions regarding Cease, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Max Scherzer all set to miss the first portion of the season, trading for Cease would go a long way in bolstering the Rangers' rotation depth to start the new campaign. The White Sox have reportedly sent numerous scouts to Rangers camp over the past week, indicating that trade discussions may be getting more serious, but Chicago may still opt to send Cease to the Yankees, who have checked in on his availability.

Cease allowed one earned run on two hits while striking out five and walking none across three innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

Cease threw 21 pitches in his second spring appearance and was regularly hitting 96 mph with his fastball, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. The only run against him came on a solo home run, but he was otherwise sharp in the outing. Cease is set to start on Opening Day.

Cease was named the White Sox's Opening Day starter on Thursday, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cease will draw his second consecutive Opening Day assignment, this time taking on the Tigers on March 28. He has frequently been named in trade rumors this offseason, though the team is apparently planning for him to remain on the roster given this announcement. Cease had a disappointing 2023 season, posting a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP to go along with a 214:79 K:BB across 177 innings.