MLB Rumors: Absurd new Dylan Cease asking price is non-starter for Reds, Braves

Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease is still available via trade, with talks ramping up some since Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers just a few days before the holiday. Cease is coming off a down season where he had a 4.58 ERA, but in 2022 he finished as the AL Cy Young runner-up.

Cease is one of the best strikeout pitchers in all of baseball when he's on, and throwing in a competitive environment once again could unleash the 27-year-old.

The Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles are all interested in Cease. The Braves lack significant prospect capital to trade away for Cease, however. The Orioles top young players have been deemed untouchable by Mike Elias and the front office. This all makes the Reds the perfect possible suitor.

The only issue is White Sox general manager Chris Getz's asking price for Cease, which just won't cut it.

MLB Rumors: White Sox have a high asking price for Dylan Cease

Per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the White Sox asked the Reds for a prospect package headlined by Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty, as well as two highly-ranked position player prospects. Jason Williams of the Cincinnati Enquirer said the White Sox asked for Lowder, Edwin Arroyo, Connor Phillips and at least one more prospect. MLB Pipeline ranks all three of those players in the top-70 prospects.

Cincinnati is interested in controllable pitching, and would acquire the best starter available in Cease. However, the Reds will not trade three (or possibly more) top-100 prospects for most players, even someone like Cease who has two years left on control on his deal.

The White Sox will eventually have to lower their asking price for teams like Cincinnati, Baltimore and Atlanta, as all three are run by competent front offices which will not meet Getz's demands. If that means waiting until the trade deadline or beyond, then so be it.