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The New York Yankees need another starting pitcher for their rotation. After losing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Bombers are investigating several other options. One of those possibilities is Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease.
Per a January 5 report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees have “sincere” interest in acquiring the 28-year-old right-handed hurler. On January 6, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter shared hypothetical packages for every MLB team currently connected to one of this winter’s top trade targets.
Those predictions included one for New York. Here’s what it is:
- Yankees receive: RHP Dylan Cease
- White Sox receive: OF Spencer Jones, RHP Will Warren, C/1B Ben Rice, 3B Tyler Hardman and LHP Edgar Barclay
According to MLB.com’s prospect rankings, all of the minor leaguers in this proposed deal reside within New York’s top 30. Jones (first) and Warren (eighth) are both within the top 10. Meanwhile, Hardman is ranked 15th, Rice checks in at 21st and Barclay is 27th.
Chicago Setting a High Price for Dylan Cease
This likely feels like a steep price to pay, but it’s hardly the only proposed deal that looks this way from Reuter. That’s mostly because the White Sox know they have some leverage. Chicago is also willing to wait things out to see if they can get close to what they’ve initially asked in negotiations with teams.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale shared what he’s heard regarding Chicago’s asking price and the organization’s current thinking on January 7. He said the Sox are looking for two top-100 prospects and at least two other players.
Nightengale also said Chicago has recently had talks with the Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, but nothing is close. And if a satisfactory proposal isn’t put in front of them, the White Sox are happy to hold onto Cease until they get one, per Nightengale’s report.
The club has the luxury of time because Cease is under team control for both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, per Spotrac. He had a lackluster 2023 campaign (4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 177 innings), but the hurler flashed ace potential in 2021 and 2022.
His 2022 performance was especially eye-popping. He went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 227 strikeouts in 184 innings. He finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting behind Justin Verlander.
Yankees Acquiring Another Starter a ‘Virtual Certainty’
Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell have been the most common free-agent hurlers linked to the Yankees. Nightengale also reported on January 8 that Marcus Stroman could be another possibility.
However, Cease isn’t the only trade target general manager Brian Cashman is investigating at the moment. He’s also had chats with the Miami Marlins about Jesus Luzardo and the Cleveland Guardians about Shane Bieber.
During a January 9 segment on MLB Network, insider Jon Morosi discussed the Yankees’ various rotation options. The direction they head is anyone’s guess at this point. Morosi did say it’s a “virtual certainty” that New York will add another starter by spring training.
Slow-moving free-agent and trade markets are providing the Yankees with plenty of options despite approaching the middle of January. It doesn’t seem like a resolution is on the horizon just yet, though.
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