With Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz making it clear the team is willing to move forward with a Dylan Cease trade in addition to dealing any other player from their roster, it’s added a layer to the group of available starting pitchers this offseason.
In terms of free-agent starters, that’s headlined by Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It included Aaron Nola but he re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on a seven-year, $172 million contract. Sonny Gray also was available on the open market before signing a three-year, $75 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
That came after the Cardinals signed Dodgers free agent Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
Despite adding three starters over a one-week span, the Cardinals are open to a Cease trade as well, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
The Cardinals, sources say, remain interested in Cease even after signing Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn.
The Cardinals went into the offseason among the several teams looking to acquire multiple pitchers. Trading for Cease would give them another impact starter to pair with Gray in effort to bolster a rotation that ranked 26th this year with a 5.07 ERA. Whereas Lynn and Gibson are more depth options.
Though, Cease is coming off somewhat of a down year that saw him go 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA, 3.72 FIP and 1.42 WHIP. The right-hander fared much better in 2022, when he went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and finished in second place for the American League Cy Young Award.
Along with the Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers reportedly have discussed a Cease trade with the White Sox as well.
How Dylan Cease compares
Cease, Shane Bieber, Corbin Burnes and Tyler Glasnow are viable starting pitchers who seemingly are available on the trade market. One separator for Cease is he’s under team control for two seasons, compared to the other aforementioned right-handers who are due to become free agents next winter.
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