As the MLB hot stove hums along with its typical rampant speculation, one tune is ringing louder than your father-in-law’s stereo system at the family gathering this holiday, and that is Dylan Cease’s potential move from the Chicago White Sox. Fresh off a down 2023, where Cease’s ERA ballooned to 4.58, the Sox have seemingly put a king’s ransom asking price on the table.
According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, and reinforced by Jason Williams of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the White Sox’s ask is steep: a trade package heavy with both quality and quantity. “The White Sox were asking Cincinnati for a combination of Rhett Lowder, Chase Petty, Connor Phillips, Edwin Arroyo, and another unnamed prospect,” a list that reads like a Christmas list of the who’s who of Cincinnati’s future hopes.
Indeed, these are not marginal talents. Three of these prospects have enjoyed the spotlight as Top 100 prospects in the past year, with Lowder and Phillips also gracing Baseball America’s Top 100 list in September. It’s clear that newly appointed White Sox GM Chris Getz wants to cash in on his top commodity this offseason.
With pitching in high demand, as it always is, Getz and the White Sox sit in a rather favorable position in regards to Cease. The right-hander still has two years of control on his current deal, and despite the veteran’s struggles this past season, he is still only one year removed from a Cy Young-caliber season and still racked up over 200 strikeouts this past season.
Still, as Williams notes, the White Sox’s demands might push beyond what’s viewed as proportional in MLB’s finicky market. At least for the Reds, who up until now, haven’t really been mentioned as a top suitor for Cease’s services. Although, it is certainly interesting to note their involvement in discussions at this juncture.
As the free agent pitching market settles, following the signings of both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the interest in Cease’s services has seemingly grown accordingly. While it is all but certain the intent of Getz is to deal the best starting pitcher on his staff, it remains to be seen if any of his counterparts will meet his asking price.
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