3 Dylan Cease-Yankees trade packages that don't involve Spencer Jones

The New York Yankees appear to be bracing for the worst. Gerrit Cole, arguably the best pitcher on the planet, underwent an MRI after concerns arose with his elbow. We don't know what the injury is, but we do know that the Yankees believe it's unlikely Cole will start the season on the active roster, and they're looking to have several people look at it before releasing a definitive statement.

A Cole injury would obviously be disastrous for a Yankees team competing for a World Series title. If Cole is out long-term, New York would certainly need to acquire another frontline starter to seriously compete. While arms like Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell seem like the easy solution, the fact that the Yankees are so far over the luxury tax threshold likely means they'll be priced out.

While splurging on a major free agent seems unlikely, the Yankees could always turn to the trade market. They reportedly have done so, with USA Today's Bob Nightengale reporting that the team has re-engaged with the Chicago White Sox in Dylan Cease talks. While that's promising for Yankees fans, Nightengale reported that their offer did not include prized prospect Spencer Jones.

The Yankees have a deep enough farm system to where they can potentially acquire Cease without including Jones, but it'll be costly with Cease coming at a cheap price financially and with two years of control. You have to give to get. If New York won't part with Jones, they're going to have to part with other top prospects to get White Sox GM Chris Getz to even entertain an offer. These three packages could potentially work.

Dylan Cease-Yankees trade No. 1

For the Yankees to get a Cease trade done without trading either Jones or their other star outfield prospect, Jasson Dominguez, it's going to take more of a quantity package. This means that the Yankees will need to part with more than a couple of assets to get the value where Chicago is comfortable. Those players aren't as valuable as Jones or Dominguez, but the package will sting.

With that in mind, we've arrived at our first trade. This one is probably the weakest of the three proposals we have. The Yankees would be giving up three of their top five prospects, but get to hold onto their crown jewels.

Austin Wells, New York's starting catcher, is the most recognizable name in this deal. It'd be tough for the Yankees to give him up considering the fact that he's on the MLB roster, but with the Yankees having Jose Trevino on the team Wells should not be untouchable. The Yankees also happen to have Ben Rice, another highly-touted catching prospect in their system. The toughest player for the Yankees to give up in this trade would probably be Chase Hampton as he's their best pitching prospect and is close to MLB-ready, but again, you have to give to get.

The highest-ranked prospect on this list is Roderick Arias, a player who shot up the ranks this past season but is just 19 years old and hasn't played above Rookie Ball. Sure, he can be excellent, but he won't be ready for several years. If the Yankees want to win now, he should be movable.

The last piece in this deal is Clayton Beeter, a pitcher who might begin the year in New York's rotation if Cole goes down. The Yankees' lack of pitching depth makes giving Beeter up tough, but it's worth their while if it nets them Cease.