The Chicago White Sox continue to shop Dylan Cease as the club looks to get the best possible return for the right-handed pitcher. Many contending teams have shown interest, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Yankees.
Those three teams are World Series contenders and have arguably the best farm systems in baseball.
It's uncertain if and what the Orioles and Yankees have offered the White Sox, but we might've found out what the Dodgers are offering.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Dodgers tried trading Michael Busch to the White Sox before he landed with the Chicago Cubs.
""Before trading infielder Michel Busch to the Chicago Cubs, the Dodgers included him in some of their offers to the White Sox for Cease, according to sources briefed on the discussions.""
Busch is currently the No. 44 ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
It's uncertain who else was offered in the deal, but the White Sox weren't interested.
Rosenthal then added that after the White Sox signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they aren't as interested.
""The Dodgers’ interest in Cease was stronger before they signed Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They continued talking to the White Sox afterward, but their trade with the Cubs indicated they were looking for future value.""
The White Sox front office isn't going to make a deal unless they believe it's going to make their team better in the future. With two years of control on Cease, there's not much of a reason to make a deal until they find what they want.
At this rate, it looks likely that he starts the season in Chicago. That might not be a bad thing as teams will typically overpay at the deadline to fulfill their roster needs.
Many contending teams will be looking for an ace caliber arm during the deadline.