MLB Rumors: Dylan Cease Trade Talks Held Between Padres, White Sox amid Yankees Buzz
March 13, 2024
Two weeks before the start of the 2024 MLB regular season, the trade market for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease is picking up steam.
Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the San Diego Padres have joined the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers as teams that have had talks with the White Sox about Cease.
Morosi noted a trade is now seen as "plausible" based on the volume of talks both the Yankees and Rangers have had with Chicago recently.
All three teams have an obvious need for a pitcher like Cease. The Padres lost 571 innings from their 2023 staff with the departures of Blake Snell, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Nick Martinez.
Snell is still available as a free agent, but there has been no indication San Diego is looking to bring back the reigning NL Cy Young winner.
The Padres did add help to their rotation by acquiring Michael King and Jhony Brito from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade. They still have Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove to anchor the starting staff, but neither of them is a No. 1 at this point in their careers.
The Yankees' urgency for a starter could depend on what the results of Gerrit Cole's MRI ends up being. Aaron Boone told reporters Monday his star pitcher was having imaging done after experiencing some issues recovering between appearances this spring.
Texas hasn't completely ruled out bringing back Jordan Montgomery after he helped the team win the World Series last season, but general manager Chris Young recently said it's looking "less likely" a reunion will happen.
If the Rangers don't sign Montgomery, they will enter the season with Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Andrew Heaney as their top three starting pitchers.
Cease is an attractive trade candidate for any team looking for pitching help. He's only making $8 million this season and is under team control through 2025.
The 28-year-old has started at least 32 games and struck out at least 214 hitters in each of the past three seasons. He finished second to Justin Verlander in the 2022 AL Cy Young voting.
San Diego has the unenviable task of playing in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's going to be an uphill climb for the Padres to win the NL West, but they can significantly boost their playoff chances if they find a way to land Cease in a trade.
