The Padres pulled off a huge late-spring surprise before wrapping up Spring Training and departing for Korea on Wednesday.

Just before the flight was about to take off for next week's season-opening Seoul Series, the Padres revealed on Wednesday night that San Diego had acquired ace right-hander Dylan Cease from the White Sox. They sent righty reliever Steven Wilson and three of their Top 10 prospects to Chicago in a trade.  

Cease remains on the team until 2025 and will make $8 million this season. Throughout the course of five major league seasons, he has recorded a 3.83 ERA; in 2022, he placed second in the American League Cy Young Award votes.

The right-hander had an unfavorable season in 2023, recording a 4.58 ERA, although his other numbers suggest he may have been hit by some bad luck. Cease pitched 177 innings and had a 3.72 FIP, striking out 214 batters. He'll be pitching alongside a stronger defense and in a more pitcher-friendly park in San Diego.

Cease's comeback season would significantly strengthen the Padres' rotation. Alongside right-handers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, he will start in the rotation and effectively replace Blake Snell, who left via free agency. 

Although Thorpe, Zavala, and Iriarte are all respected players, the Padres were particularly happy that they were able to hold onto their top four prospects following the trade.  Thorpe and Iriarte both pitched well in their first big league camp this spring. Wilson, on the other hand, was expected to be an important part of the relief team. The bullpen is somewhat short without him.

However, the Padres believed that for an arm like Cease, the cost was justified. Cease has made all of his starts in the last three seasons, leading the American League in that category twice. Over 200 strikeouts have been recorded by him in each of those seasons.

San Diego lost a number of key players in the offseason, so there are still a lot of unanswered concerns throughout the squad. The bullpen appears uncertain and the outfield is limited.  But going into the offseason, there were a lot of questions about this roster's rotation.

The Padres will deliver a clear response to those questions when they set out on their journey around the globe next Wednesday night for the MLB 2024 Seoul Series.