There's a chance that the San Diego Padres could end up losing a key piece of the starting rotation this offseason.

Dylan Cease has been a member of the organization over the last two years and has been good, although his name has been thrown around in more trade rumors than you'd likely expect. Regardless, the Padres never moved him and now he's a free agent this offseason and likely will cash in.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked the top 50 players heading to free agency with projected contracts and had Cease at No. 6 and projected the righty to land a five-year, $145 million contract.

"Projected contract: 5 years, $145 million ($29M AAV)," McDaniel said. "Cease has been a reliable front-line starter for the past five seasons, making at least 32 starts each year and ranking fourth in that

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