MLB Rumors: 2 reasons the Cardinals should trade for Dylan Cease, and 1 reason they shouldn't
By Curt Bishop
Dylan Cease may give Cardinals a legitimate ace
Should the Cardinals trade for Dylan Cease, they could very well find their ace in the hole that they have needed for quite some time. It's no surprise that after Adam Wainwright began to decline last September, the rest of the rotation followed suit. That is because there was no ace to rely on.
Though 2023 was a bad season for the young right-hander, he was second in the Cy Young race in the American League behind Houston's Justin Verlander. Cease won 14 games and posted a 2.20 ERA. He even held opponents to just a .190 batting average.
Of course, it depends on whether or not 2023 was just a fluke or a true representation of Cease as a pitcher. He's got a decent track record, so it might just be a fluke, meaning he could bounce back and be an ace again in 2024.
Cease would certainly put some fear into opponents if acquired by the Cardinals, and he would give St. Louis a much better chance of bouncing back into contention and making a run at their first World Series title since all the way back in 2011.