The Chicago White Sox were massive sellers at the deadline in 2023. Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams still had their jobs as executives in the organization at that point but the deals were made nonetheless.
Guys like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Jake Burger, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, and Kendall Graveman were all shipped out of town for different returns. It wasn't fun seeing the team broken up like that but that is what happens when you are on track to be a 100-loss team in late July/early August.
There were a ton of players that were rumored to go at that time that didn't either. Guys like Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, and Dylan Cease all highlighted that situation. Well, Jimenez and Cease are still around but Anderson is not coming back.
In the case of Cease, he was probably going to land the White Sox something good at the deadline but they chose to keep him instead. He pitched pretty poorly following those rumors so it is probably a mistake that they kept him around.
The Chicago White Sox might trade Dylan Cease during this off-season.
Now, his value is diminished but they can still get something decent for him. The new rumors are that he is on the block once again. The White Sox will be taking calls on Cease throughout the off-season process.
Bob Nightengale reported this which is noteworthy. He claims that they aren't actively shopping him though. Instead, they are just listening to offers on him. Well, that doesn't really make sense. It sounds like Cease is on the trade block and they are afraid to say it.
If the White Sox made it clear that they would listen to offers, that means a good one could get a deal done. So, Cease is firmly on the block if you read between the lines. Not trading him really doesn't make much sense at this point. He won't be around long-term.
Cease was otherworldly in 2022. He came in second place for the AL Cy Young because he was so good. In 2023, however, he regressed. Still, he is a great starter with outstanding stuff. With another team, he is sure to break out again as long as it is a good situation.
A smart team would be able to get a lot more out of Cease. The White Sox just haven't been able to consistently unlock certain people's potential and it is frustrating. Starting over while keeping Cease just makes no sense. Moving him now would be a smart idea.