This year’s free-agent class of starting pitchers isn’t quite what it was a year ago, when proven aces like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried commanded deals north of $200 million. The crazed search for a front-of-the-rotation starter will be muddier this winter.

That’s where Dylan Cease enters the picture. The righty is the top-ranked starting pitcher on MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand’s top-30 free agent list . But his case is polarizing, especially after posting a 4.55 ERA with the Padres last season in an underwhelming walk year.

Signings & Trades

How comfortably, if at all, does Cease fit the bill of a front-end starter? It’s a question that front offices are already grappling with, and there’s no easy answer. Let’s explore Cease’s curious free agency case, taking both a glass half-empty

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