MLB Rumors: Mets dubious future, Dylan Cease staring contest, Blue Jays-Blake Snell buzz
- Mets future plans should be questioned
- White Sox asking price for Dylan Cease remains high
- Blue Jays could be dark horse for Blake Snell
MLB Rumors: White Sox asking price for Dylan Cease remains high
A pitcher most MLB Insiders have predicted would be traded sometime this offseason is Dylan Cease, as the Chicago White Sox are retooling and the right-hander would net them outstanding assets in return, considering the fact that he has an extremely high ceiling and has two years left of team control on cheap money.
Cease having the high ceiling and years of control has made him a desirable asset, but the White Sox have had an enormous asking price attached to him all offseason. We're in mid-January now and the price remains astronomical according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
The Baltimore Orioles have been a team often considered the favorites for Cease because of their outstanding farm system and their need for frontline starting pitching, but the White Sox are asking for one of Colton Cowser or Heston Kjerstad to headline a deal with some of their other prospects. Asking for one of Cowser or Kjerstad is pretty fair (they're not getting Jackson Holliday) but asking for one of them along with other stuff for only two years of Cease is probably very steep.
The New York Yankees might not be as desperate to make a trade for Cease after signing Marcus Stroman, but they could definitely use another starting pitcher if the price is right. The problem is that Nightengale is reporting that the White Sox are asking for their top prospect Spencer Jones or their top pitching prospect Chase Hampton. The Yankees already gave up one of their best prospects, Drew Thorpe, in the Juan Soto trade, so it feels unlikely they're going to trade one of Jones or Hampton along with other stuff to get Cease.
For now, it's just a waiting game. Teams are waiting for the White Sox to lower their asking price, while the White Sox are waiting for one team to give them an offer they can't refuse. Whoever blinks first will lose. If the other teams blink, they could give up an amount they end up regretting. If the White Sox blink, they could either sell Cease short, or hold onto him and risk the price getting even lower.