MLB Rumors: Top trade target for NY Mets, Red Sox and Cardinals

MLB Rumors: Cardinals trade target Dylan Cease

A few days ago I floated Eduardo Rodriguez as a likely trade target of the St. Louis Cardinals. He very well could be, but let’s pretend John Mozeliak wants to aim higher. The Chicago White Sox are expected to at least take calls on ace Dylan Cease, though it seems unlikely that they’ll find fair value. FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray discussed the possibility of a Cease trade earlier this week:

"“With Cease under contract for two more arbitration seasons, any potential acquiring team would have him under contract for at least three postseason runs. As one of the best young pitchers in baseball, it would take a substantial haul to pry him out of Chicago.”"

That substantial haul would start with some of the Cards top prospects, such as Jordan Walker and Tink Hence. St. Louis has a strong enough system to land Cease for those three playoff runs, and the Cardinals are lacking a true ace. However, Cease has struggled so far this year, which is worth watching.

Just a season after finishing second in AL Cy Young voting, Cease has a 4.86 ERA in nine starts. His numbers have looked a little better of late, perhaps suggesting a turnaround. His most recent start against the Oakland Athletics was a scoreless outing.

“Finally, I think some of the work going into it paid off. Any time you get a win and hold them scoreless, it’s fantastic,” Cease said. “Just working on some mechanical stuff to help me execute more consistently.

The better Cease pitches, the greater his trade value will be. It’s unclear if the Cardinals are willing to meet the asking price.