The Chicago White Sox have made Dylan Cease available and other teams have shown interest in the right-handed ace. Cease, 28, is expected to return a major haul in any deal that he's involved in.
With the position that the White Sox are currently in, they don't have to trade Cease. They have him for another two seasons and unless they get the perfect deal, trading him wouldn't make sense.
White Sox GM Chris Getz spoke to the media on Tuesday and gave an update about Cease. He had the following to say, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times:
""We've had [trade] conversations about Dylan [Cease] but we're not going to move someone unless there's a benefit," GM Chris Getz said."
As Getz says, the team won't move on from him unless it's the right package.
When an ace arm who has two-years of control enters the market, teams need to be willing to move prospects that are some of the best in baseball. This is why teams like the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and others should be the ones Getz is working the phone with.
As Spring Training nears, Cease could still very well be on the roster. With teams interested in Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, they could pivot to a Cease trade once the two left-handers finally sign.
Despite a down 2023 season, Cease is one of the best arms in baseball. He posted a 3.10 FIP in 2022 along with his 2.20 ERA in 184 innings pitched. Cease finished second in the Cy Young voting that season.
Teams are hopeful that he can get back to that and there shouldn't be much of a reason that he can't. Essentially no one on the Chicago White Sox played well last season, making it tough to judge Cease for his struggles with everything going on.
Getz is now challenged with getting the best possible return for his top trade asset.