MLB rumors: Cubs getting left behind for key FA, STL fumbling FA already, Dodgers hoping for another Sox deal
- The Dodgers and White Sox are engaged in trade talks
- Aaron Nola was evidently of no interest to the Cardinals
- The Cubs are slipping in the Cody Bellinger sweepstakes
By Josh Wilson
Dodgers want to trade for another White Sox pitcher
The Los Angeles Dodgers made an ill-advised trade at the deadline, acquiring Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox to the tune of a 6.16 FIP, 1.266 WHIP, and 2.3 home run per nine innings pace. Things, simply, did not go well for Lynn in Los Angeles, and the deal goes down as one of the worst to occur at the 2023 deadline.
They appear determined to manufacture themselves a mulligan with the Sox, now looking to acquire starting pitcher Dylan Cease from the Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale says the talks are ongoing but does not provide an indication of how far along they are.
Cease showed up last year to a tune of a 3.72 FIP (4.58 ERA) across an AL-leading 33 games started. He had a somewhat high 1.418 WHIP, but remained one of the upside players on an obviously bad roster. It's tough to judge the stats for Sox pitchers in 2023 because the team behind them was so bad and run support was few and far between.
Then again, that was the same justification when the Dodgers acquired Lynn, as well, only for them to find out they had purchased a lemon. Will it really be that much different with Cease?
Answer? Probably. A gander at the 12 snapshot advanced metrics Statcast tracks has Lynn's 2023 above the 65th percentile in just a single metric, whiff rate. Case, meanwhile, ranked above 75 in four metrics (fastball velocity, whiff rate, strikeout rate, barrel rate), and above 80 in one (whiff rate).
As with any trade, the grade on it always comes down to the price surrendered.