Dream Chicago White Sox starting rotation for the 2024 season

Dylan Cease

Dylan Cease has been a fan favorite for the Chicago White Sox. For one, he came over from the Chicago Cubs in the Jose Quintana trade. Eloy Jimenez also came to the White Sox with Cease in that deal.

In 2022, Cease was one of the best pitchers to ever pitch in a single season for the Chicago White Sox. He came in second place for the AL Cy Young Award because of his 2.20 ERA, league-low 78 walks, and 227 strikeouts in 184.0 innings pitched. He made all 32 of his starts.

Somehow, Cease was able to make 33 starts in 2023 but that made it three straight years in which he didn't miss a single scheduled start. His health is a good reason that the White Sox should be trying to keep him in their rotation going forward.

The problem is that he wasn't nearly as good in 2023 as he was in 2022. He has a ton of value because people still see him as a premier talent but that will dip if he struggles again in 2024. The willingness to trade him makes sense but building a rotation with him might be the play.

In this "down" 2023 season, he had an ERA of 4.58, a WHIP of 1.481, and 214 strikeouts in 177.0 innings pitched.

He did finish strong in the end as he only allowed five runs over his last four starts. Pitching on a team that bad can't be easy and he got through it. Having him as a number two in 2024 would be a great dream.