MLB rumors: Cubs massive moves teased, Cease trade dead? Yankees Hader backup plans
- Big Cubs moves are believed on the horizon
- Dylan Cease trade talks could be dead, at least until midseason
- Yankees targets if they miss on Josh Hader
MLB Rumors: Dylan Cease trade talks could be dead
The most valuable trade candidate among starting pitchers known to be available this offseason is Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox. Despite his down year in 2023, Cease has shown he has a Cy Young ceiling by finishing as the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2022, and comes with an additional year of team control. That's something that other star pitchers like Corbin Burnes and Shane Bieber don't have.
Because of the extra year of control and the tremendous upside, the White Sox have understandably put a massive price tag on their ace. With so many teams needing pitching, especially cheap pitching, Cease should fetch a lot in return. The problem is, their price seems to be unrealistically high. It's so high to the point where it's looking more and more like a deal is not going to happen at all.
ESPN's Buster Olney is hinting that Cease trade talks could be dead by saying "two rival executives believe the White Sox will wind up keeping Dylan Cease into the regular season." The reason for this is because they see no reason to lower their asking price and they think they'll get what they want for him at the trade deadline when teams are more desperate.
Two rival execs now believe the White Sox will wind up keeping Dylan Cease into the regular season. “There is no pressure on them to lower their asking price,” one said. “They’ll get what they want at the (trade) deadline.”
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 18, 2024
That sounds good in theory. Cease's rough 2023 season could be scaring some teams away, and assuming he bounces back, he'll still be just as valuable, if not more valuable when contending teams are fighting to get him at the trade deadline. The extra year of control allows the White Sox to be extra patient with Cease to ensure that they get what they want.
The problem is, while their plan sounds good, things can still go wrong. Cease, despite being extremely durable in his career, is a pitcher. Pitchers can get hurt. One injury can hamper his price tag in a huge way. Additionally, Cease can always put together another rough year. He should be better pitching in front of an improved White Sox defense, but that doesn't mean he will be. Another rough year could ruin his value too.
While teams are not willing to match the White Sox absurd price tag right now, they're certainly willing to offer a lot in exchange for the right-hander. With Chicago showing no desire to seriously compete in 2024, trading Cease for a ton, even if it's not the monster haul they had hoped for, sounds a whole lot better than risking the possibility of a blockbuster trade never occurring.