Do the Red Sox have an aggressive move up their sleeve as they try to reach the postseason for the first time since 2021?

As the San Diego Padres continue to nip at the heels of the spiraling Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the West, general manager AJ Preller has been hard at work trying to creatively improve the team.

Last week, Buster Olney of ESPN reported the Padres were making Cease available in trade talks with rival teams. Joel Sherman of the New York Post subsequently identified six teams that have inquired about Cease: the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs.