The Chicago White Sox held back on trading ace Dylan Cease early this offseason, waiting for the Yoshinobu Yamamoto domino to fall and expecting teams who missed out on the 25-year-old phenom would come calling.Those teams have and, according to Jason Williams of the Cincinnati Inquirer, we know just how much the White Sox are asking for their star righty.
“I know the White Sox were asking the Reds a crazy price for Dylan Cease. Chicago wanted Edwin Arroyo, Rhett Lowder, Connor Phillips and at least one more prospect.”
Arroyo, Lowder, and Phillips are all top 100 prospects. That is a huge ask of any organization, let alone one that is committed to youth and the future, such as the Reds. Ditto the Orioles, who Jon Morosi of MLB Network previously linked to the White Sox.
While the asking price may be too high on the surface, one must look no further than the team with the asset to understand why.
The White Sox have one of the worst farm systems in baseball and just one prospect in the top 50 in shortstop Colson Montgomery.
On the field, their former MVP candidate Tim Anderson has been so underwhelming of late that the team allowed him to test free agency, and the team has only player that can really be deemed off-limits to any potential suitor: Luis Robert.
The team is about to be in full rebuild mode and will need players who can contribute in the near future.
The best way for them to obtain those players is by trading Cease, who is one season removed from a Cy Young runner-up campaign that saw him go 14-8 with an ERA of 2.20, 227 strike outs, and a WHIP of 1.109.
He had a down year in 2023 (4.58, 214, and 1.418), but he also played for one of the worst teams in the sport.
He did not suddenly forget how to pitch, and the stuff is still there. A change of scenery would likely be of significant benefit for him, not to mention the White Sox organization, which would reap the rewards of several quality prospects filtering into its system.
Robert has been great but the best years of his career will be wasted if the team does not take the necessary steps to surround him with talent that can win over the next five to 10 years.
Whether it achieves that this offseason, or holds onto Cease and hopes he rekindles some of what made him one of the best pitchers in the American League two seasons ago before dealing him at the trade deadline, is the question.
Either way, the White Sox are right to aim high in what they can acquire for their star right-hander. Aces do not walk through the door every day, hence the competition for the aforementioned Yamamoto this offseason. There will be a team desperate for pitching who may not give up three top 100 prospects, but might be willing to part with two, a couple of others, or some cash.
That is where the White Sox will ultimately benefit and at least have something to show a tired, weathered fan base that they are trying to win and to do so by following in the footsteps of the Orioles and Reds by focusing on the future.
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