The San Diego Padres may be in the market for the Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease just one week before they open the regular season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 20. The Padres have already announced that Yu Darvish will start for the club on opening day. However, the Padres have been “involved in talks” for Cease, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morsi.
The Padres will likely be without 2023 Cy Young Award winner, Blake Snell, in 2024 as he is still exploring free agency. The White Sox explored trading Cease earlier in the offseason but changed their plans to instead wait until the July 30 deadline, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
Dylan Cease Trade Market
With opening day approaching quickly, the White Sox manager, Pedro Grifol, was noncommittal to Cease starting on opening day.
“I don’t know,” Grifol told reporters on March 14 when asked if he believes Cease will be the club’s opening day starter, according to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. “I mean, how am I supposed to know that? I don’t know what’s going to happen out there. I don’t know where other teams are, what their urgency is.”
Along with the Padres, The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers have also been involved in discussions, according to Morsi.
On March 12 the Yankees “made a new proposal” for Cease, according to Nightengale. While teams have had discussions, the White Sox may not be in a hurry to trade Cease and could hold out until the deadline if any offers do not move them. The Yankees had “extensive” discussions for Cease earlier in the offseason, according to Nightengale on March 10.
In the offseason the White Sox “never came close to receiving an offer for ace Dylan Cease that tempted them to trade him,” wrote Nightengale. The Padres would have to make a significant offer to land Cease. The White Sox have had multiple scouts Padres and Rangers camp recently, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Cease Trade Package
Cease is 28 years old and is arbitration-eligible for one more season, according to Spotrac. This makes Cease extremely valuable. Whatever team acquires Cease would have club control in 2025 while only paying him $8 million in 2024.
“There was some whining about the asking price for Cease, but teams that have dealt with the Sox suggest they seek maybe one and a half times what the Brewers got for Corbin Burnes,” according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
The Milwaukee Brewers traded Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for shortstop Joey Ortiz and left-handed pitcher DL Hall in February. Ortiz is the MLB’s No. 63 prospect while DL Hall is a big league reliever. While Cease did not have as strong a season in 2023 as in 2022, his club control in 2025 garners the high compensation.
“He’s $8 million. You’ve got him for two years. In today’s world that’s inexpensive for a guy who might be a top ten pitcher,” according to MLB Network.
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