SAN DIEGO -- Another spring, another round of trade rumors involving Dylan Cease. Hey, by now he's used to it.

A year ago, Cease entered Spring Training with the White Sox, a virtual lock to be traded. It was simply a matter of where and when.

He went to San Diego, it turned out -- on the final day of the Padres¡¯ spring camp. Cease then posted a 3.47 ERA, recorded the second no-hitter in franchise history and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting.

Now he's evidently back on the trade block.

"You just focus on the task at hand," Cease said, speaking at Padres FanFest on Saturday. "It's just part of the business, really."

Cease, of course, has plenty of experience dealing with trade rumors -- though this year is notably different. For one, he was certain he was going to be dealt last spring. This year, it's entirely possible Cease remains in San Diego. That's his preference.

"I love San Diego," Cease said. "I love it here, and I would definitely love to stay here."

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Obviously, it isn't quite so simple. Cease is entering his final season before free agency and is unlikely to sign an extension before hitting the open market. The Padres have several holes on their roster and presumably could fetch a haul for a player of Cease's caliber.

Then again, the most glaring holes on the roster are in the starting rotation. Trading an arm like Cease would further weaken a rotation that will be without Joe Musgrove for the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery.

It's a delicate needle to thread. A season ago, general manager A.J. Preller pulled it off in the Juan Soto trade -- dealing an elite player in his final season under contract for several controllable pieces (including Michael King).

Conceptually, a Cease trade would accomplish the same thing. The Padres seem keen on remaining below the first competitive balance tax threshold. They're currently right up against that number, with holes to fill in their rotation and their outfield.

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"We know we have a championship-type roster," Preller said, speaking to fans at Petco Park's Gallagher Square. "We know we have some work in front of us. We¡¯ve got to add a bat or two. We've got to add an arm or two."

One path to adding those pieces could be shipping a valuable piece away. Cease is one of a handful of Padres whose name has come up in trade rumors, largely because of their contract situations. King, Luis Arraez, Robert Suarez and Jake Cronenworth have been mentioned, as well.

Cease, at least, isn't the type to ignore the rumors entirely. He and King, who have adjacent lockers at Petco Park and were both traded to San Diego last winter, said they've spent this offseason joking about which of them would be dealt.

"It's a good opportunity to get some good jabs in," Cease said with a grin.

Added King: "It's part of the business, so Dylan and I always joke around about it. Obviously, you're going to hear it, but you want to make fun of it."

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For now, King seems significantly less likely to be dealt. Particularly after the announcement on Friday that he and the Padres reached an agreement on a contract for 2025 with a mutual option for ¡¯26 -- a deal that features a creative structure that benefits both sides.

The deal guarantees King $7.75 million and provides a chance to hit $8 million if he reaches incentives based on number of games started. On Saturday, he was asked if he would be shocked to be traded after reaching such a deal.

"I guess, yeah, I would be shocked," King said. "But obviously anything can happen. I didn't think I was going to be traded over here in the offseason last year. Anything can happen. I know the baseball world's crazy."

A Cease trade, meanwhile, would not qualify as a shock. But the likelihood remains wholly unclear. For one, the Padres could use him in their own rotation.

Cease, King and Yu Darvish form a formidable front three, with question marks at the back end. As things stand, Randy V¨¢squez and Matt Waldron presumably would fill out that group.

The Padres will surely add to that mix in the coming weeks. But would they subtract from it, too?

Again, Cease has been here before.

"There were a lot of rumors last year," he said. "It's really just part of it. I really don't take it in a negative way."