Getty Dylan Cease has been shopped by the Chicago White Sox before the 2024 season opens
Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease is perhaps MLB’s hottest trade commodity, with durability, impactful stuff and a bright future ahead that have elicited trade proposals from several teams.
But the White Sox are holding onto their ace until the right offer comes along, even though it’s an open secret that they’ve been shopping him. Speaking with Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Cease said that he believes White Sox GM Chris Getz wants to keep him informed as a potential trade unfolds, but that a deal would probably be finalized before he’s updated.
“He told me if there’s anything imminent (he’d let me know), but it’s tough because unless you’re at the point where pretty much the deal’s done, it’s not,” Cease explained. “I think imminent is essentially, ‘Hey, you’re getting traded.’”
The White Sox Have Outlined Asking Prices for Dylan Cease for Several Teams
Many MLB fans and front offices are eagerly anticipating such a call, as Cease could immediately transform the hopes of several teams looking to go deep into the playoffs. Nightengale has previously reported steep asking prices from the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners.
Cease emerged as a true MLB ace in 2022, pitching for a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts in 32 starts and earning Cy Young and MVP votes. In 2023, he was unable to maintain that excellence, and he saw a 4.58 ERA with 214 strikeouts. But he made at least 33 starts, establishing himself as a reliable innings eater with at least 32 starts for three seasons in a row.
“Cease finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2023,” Jesse Rogers noted for ESPN.com. “He’s still considered a top arm in the AL and is under team control for two more years, so urgency to move him hasn’t hit its peak yet.”
That urgency could accelerate quickly, however, if another top pitcher free agent finds a home first.
“The conjecture in the industry is that trade talks could accelerate once free-agent starters Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery sign,” Nightengale reported. “The teams that lose out in the sweepstakes for the two starters could turn around and focus their attention on Cease.”
When Will the Chicago White Sox Trade Dylan Cease?
The White Sox have been loud and clear that they are open to trading Cease but are also indicating that they will wait until the best offer presents itself, even if that is after the season gets underway.
“At this point, Dylan Cease, I expect him to be our Opening Day starter,” Getz told reporters, per NBC Sports Chicago. “I’ve been in contact with him regularly, and I know his name has been out there publicly with potential trades and, unsurprisingly, it hasn’t affected him.”
Still, the White Sox would be taking a risk by waiting until the 2024 deadline to see if his market value can improve.
“Even if you’re optimistic about Cease’s chances of having another award-caliber season, you cannot take his health for granted,” as R.J. Anderson wrote for CBS Sports. “He’s a pitcher, after all, and they tend to get hurt — sometimes at inconvenient points.”