5 dream MLB Winter Meetings moves the Cubs should make

4) Dream Winter Meetings move the Cubs should make: Trading for Dylan Cease

The biggest name when it comes to pitching trade targets is undoubtedly Corbin Burnes, but a Burnes trade to the Cubs feels extremely unlikely. Yes, this is a dream article, but in some ways a Cease acquisition actually makes more sense than Burnes.

The main deciding factor here is the extra year of control. While Burnes is a free agent at the end of the season, Cease has an additional year in which the Cubs would control him. Since both deals would involve a hefty package going the other way, that extra year means a lot.

Cease is coming off a bit of a down year with the White Sox but was the victim of some atrocious defense played behind him, and was the AL Cy Young runner-up in the 2022 season. Cease is incredibly durable, and should at the worst-case scenario eat close to 200 innings. That alone is valuable.

Cease should be incredibly comfortable if the Cubs did acquire him because he was once a Cubs prospect. He was traded from the Cubs to the White Sox in the deal that brought Jose Quintana to the North Side. Finding a way to get Cease back and put him alongside Steele at the top of the rotation should be high up on Hoyer's list.