Dylan Cease Reportedly on 'Top of the Astros' Wish List' Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease is "at the top" of the Houston Astros' wish list heading into Thursday's trade deadline, Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome reported Tuesday for The Athletic.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman previously reported San Diego is "listening" to offers for Cease, but Rosenthal and Rome noted the Padres are postseason hopefuls only interested in deals that would "improve their current major-league roster."

Cease is making $13.75 million this season before he is set to unrestricted free agency this winter, per Spotrac. He has recorded a 4.79 ERA through 22 starts and 118.1 innings pitched so far this season.

Heyman previously reported that the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs have also reached out to the Padres about Cease.

ESPN's Buster Olney additionally noted that some evaluators believe the asking prices for Cease and Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan are "extremely high."

The Astros sent scouts to Cease's start last Wednesday against the Miami Marlins, according to Rome and Rosenthal.

That day, Cease struck out five batters and walked three while allowing a homer, four hits and two earned runs through five innings of a 3-2 loss.

The 29-year-old may be having a down season in terms of production, but his 3-10 record hasn't been helped by the Padres' struggles on offense. Any club picking up his contract would additionally hope a change of scenery can help him bounce back down the stretch.

Cease has also already proven himself to be one of the most durable starters in baseball over the last five seasons. After leading MLB with 33 starts last season, he is on his way to another season at the top of the leaderboard with 22 starts on the year.

That could be an attractive quality for the Astros given that the club's rotation has been plagued by injury this season.

Most recently left-hander Brandon Walter hit the IL last Friday due to left elbow inflammation, making him the 18th Astros player and eighth Astros starting pitcher to see his name on the list, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

At the time of Walter's injury, the Astros were left with Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez as the only starters with significant MLB experience on the active roster.

Bringing in Cease behind Valdez and Brown would give the Astros a stronger top to the rotation as the club waits for rehabbing pitchers like Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti and Luis Garcia to make their return.

Acquiring Cease wouldn't just involve finding the right trade piece to tempt the Padres, however. The Astros would also need to move out salary in order to avoid going over the luxury tax in consecutive seasons, something team owner Jim Crane has "no interest" in, according to Rome and Rosenthal.