The Angels would be wise to avoid trading for Padres' ace Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease, 29, is the best and most consistent trade target of the trio and also fits the Angels' need for a front-line starter. Over the past four seasons, he's posted fWARs between 3.6 and 4.8 demonstrating his ability to operate as a true ace.
As a result, San Diego will want a king's ransom for the right-handed stud and could look to last year's Corbin Burnes trade as a baseline for what to expect. In that deal, Milwaukee acquired Joey Ortiz and D.L. Hall, both of whom were consensus top-100 prospects.
The Angels don't have a highly regarded system, and therefore would likely be required to part with their top-two prospects, Caden Dana and Christian Moore. Given that the Halos are counting on those two to be significant contributors as early as this season, that's a hefty price to pay.
As mentioned before, Cease like Arráez and King is in his final year of team control. Again, Corbin Burnes is a good barometer for what he might fetch once he hits free agency. Burnes signed a six-year $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason which is a price Arte Moreno almost certainly would be unwilling to pay.
Having a true ace would be nice for the Angels, but not at the cost of their top two prospects for a player who would essentially be a one-year rental. That's simply too steep a price to pay, especially when his teammate, Michael King, could provide a reasonable approximation of Cease's value and cost less both in terms of a trade package and future extension.
The Angels haven't necessarily been linked to any of these rumored-to-be-available Padres they'd be smart to inquire and pull the trigger if the price tags of Arráez and King match reality.