A Cubs-Dylan Cease trade that doesn't include Pete Crow-Armstrong

Dylan Cease was involved in the crosstown trade which sent Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs. Obviously, that deal did not work out as well as hoped with the north siders.

The Cubs, to this point, are not involved in trade talks for Cease. Doing so would be admitting a mistake, which is not easy for this front office in particular. However, Cease would fill a legitimate need atop the starting rotation and would come at an affordable price tag.

A Cease trade would not involve Pete Crow-Armstrong, of course, as he is the Cubs top prospect and a future star if all goes according to plan. The Rangers reported trade package for Cease, per Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, looked something like this.

The Rangers reported offer to the White Sox includes no top-100 prospects, though they would deal away a key utility infielder in Duran entering his age-25 season. Duran slashed .274/.324/.443 last season with 14 home runs in 122 games. He can play multiple positions, including third base and shortstop when called upon.

MLB Rumors: Can the Cubs afford a Dylan Cease trade?

The Cubs can afford Dylan Cease if this is the asking price. None of the prospects included in the trade are top-100 value, but if Chicago would prefer to trade away players in their farm system, it may be easier to look towards the top of their farm system rankings.

The likes of Kevin Alcantara (65) or James Triantos (73) are within range, as Chicago has seven players ranked in the top-100. Chicago could also trade the likes of Jordan Wicks, who is a hybrid starter/relief pitcher, to the White Sox as an MLB-ready contributor. He'd slide right into the White Sox rotation and help the south siders avoid spending on a free-agent replacement like Michael Lorenzen.

The rest of the Cubs system is fruitful with MLB-ready talent such as Alexander Canario, who has played at the MLB level but doesn't have stable playing time with the Cubs.

Assuming the White Sox have lowered their asking price for Cease, a trade involving Wicks, Canario and more could be the right call, as the Cubs would hold onto all of their top-100 prospects.