“Similarly, the Red Sox have signaled interest in Dylan Cease, who would be a rental," McAdam wrote. "The Padres, in their never-ending quest to acquire Duran, proposed a package involving Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another prospect (not shortstop Leo de Vries) for Duran, which was quickly rejected."

The San Diego Padres were trying to trade starting pitcher Dylan Cease up until the trade deadline. But like the offseason, the Padres ultimately kept Cease in San Diego. San Diego's asking price for Cease from two teams has been revealed.

The Astros weren’t ready to part ways with a young arm and you can’t blame them for that. Cease is a pending free agent, so if they really want him, they can sign him this winter and they’ll still get to retain Arrighetti. But if their postseason comes up short and Arrighetti’s postseason debut is a dud, they’ll always wonder what if.