4 trades Blue Jays could be forced to make if Alek Manoah stinks again

1. Blue Jays can shock MLB with Dylan Cease trade

The Chicago White Sox still haven't traded Dylan Cease. What's up with that?

Well, for one, Chicago's asking price is known to be astronomical. That could stress the Blue Jays' subpar farm system. But, if Toronto is aggressive enough, Cease will get traded eventually. It's a matter of time. The White Sox are playing it with patience, as they should, but it's hard to move forward when a player has been openly discussed in trade conversations all winter.

A couple factors stand out with Cease. First, he is only 28 years old. Second, he has two years of team control left on his contract, with one more round of arbitration set for the 2025 offseason. Relatively young pitchers under contract for multiple years are not often available. Cease struggled relative to expectations in 2023, but the favorable nature of his contract, combined with the heights we have seen him reach in the past, makes him the Blue Jays' dream target.

There is an argument to be made that Toronto should focus its limited resources on offense instead of selling the farm for Cease, but he finished second in Cy Young voting a year ago. He tore through the American League with a 2.20 ERA and cemented his status as one of baseball's most coveted arms. His 2023 regression was disappointing — 4.58 ERA and 1.418 WHIP — but it was not nearly enough to stymie the optimism around Cease long term.

He would simultaneously face more pressure and less pressure in Toronto. Cease would no longer be the No. 1 ace, able to share the spotlight and the burden of expectation with Gausman and a solid collection of Blue Jays starters. On the other hand, he would be moving from one of the AL's worst teams to a legitimate contender. Toronto needs to win games right now. The coaching staff and front office are both under immense pressure.

Cease can still ratchet up the velocity and get a ton of swings and misses with his four-pitch arsenal, which includes a zippy slider. He's due for a bounce-back season; maybe the Blue Jays can be the beneficiaries of that bounce-back in the end.