White Sox and Yankees talking Dylan Cease swap, asking price steep for the right-hander (report)
The New York Yankees covet current Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease. The two clubs have held trade talks that would send the right-hander to the Bronx but the price will be costly for the Yankees.
“The Chicago White Sox’s asking price for ace Dylan Cease remains awfully strong: They are seeking prized Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones or right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton in their package,” Bob Nightengale reported for USA Today.
The White Sox have been fielding offers for Cease all winter from interested clubs around the league. The Baltimore Orioles reportedly have expressed interest but the Chicago was said to be looking for top prospect Colton Cowser of Heston Kjerstad, among other potential prospects.
The Yankees have been looking to bolster their rotation heading into the 2024 season. The club has already added free agent right-hander Marcus Stroman and have been connected to National League Cy Young award winner Blake Snell.
The addition of Cease would give the Bombers one of the best rotations in baseball. New York is expected to go into spring training with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Clark Schmidt and Stroman.
The White Sox have been looking for a strong trade package in order to move Cease.
Jones is currently ranked as the Yankees No. 1 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, while Hampton sits at No. 4 overall.
“Jones features impressive strength and leverage in his towering 6-foot-6 frame, and he also generates plenty of bat speed and makes a lot of hard contact from the left side of the plate,” MLB.com detailed. “Extremely athletic for his size… He stole 12 bases without getting caught in his introduction to pro ball.”
Cease is one of the top names available on the trade market this winter. He has two years of team control remaining before he can be a free agent in 2026. The righty went 7-9 last season posting a 4.58 ERA. His down 2023 season comes on the heels of his 2022 campaign where he finished 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young award.
The durable Cease has made 97 starts the last three seasons, 32 in both 2021 and 2022 and 33 last year. He’s also tossed 526 2/3 frames during that span.
New White Sox general manager Chris Getz is trying to cut payroll on the south side while building a new young core fort the White Sox. He is expected to be active in both trades and free agency.
“I still think it’s going to be dabbling in both,” Getz said to the Chicago Tribune back in November. “And there’s going to be a pace to each avenue. And there could be a point where it just makes sense to act on a trade to fill some of our needs and set us up for the future, or we’re able to convert on a free agent. So still open-minded. We’re working in both spaces right now.”
If the White Sox elect to keep Cease heading into spring training, Getz could look at dealing the right-hander at the trade deadline and maybe get a larger return from a team making a playoff push.
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