Reports claim that the Yankees and Orioles have entered the race to trade for White Sox ace Dylan Cease – but what will it cost to get him?
Yankees, Orioles in Race for Cease
The Report
What started as a dull offseason didn’t take long to get interesting. Since Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both went to the Dodgers, the free-agent and trade market quickly heated up and it’s rumored it might go up another notch. On Friday, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal claimed the Yankees and Orioles expressed trade interest in White Sox ace Dylan Cease.
The Yankees and Orioles are among the teams that have expressed ‘sincere interest’ in trading for Dylan Cease, per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/Cn9kfvPLmB
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) January 5, 2024
The AL East rivals would benefit from the frontliner’s services, but are they willing to pay the White Sox’s hefty price tag?
The Asking Price
The former Cy Young finalist is one of the biggest names on the trading block, and Chicago is valuing him accordingly. They are reportedly asking for four top prospects in return.
The reason they’re asking for the moon is because they’re giving up a star. Cease is coming off his third straight 200-strikeout season, is still in his prime at 28, and is under team control until 2026. He posted a mediocre 4.58 ERA in 2023, but dominated teams in 2022 when he earned MVP votes and compiled a 2.20 ERA.
Besides Gerrit Cole, the Yankees struggled with their rotation, failing to have any other qualified players record under a 4.50 ERA. New York is looking to change that in their all-in approach for next season, and getting a guy like Cease would do just that.
The Orioles fall into a similar boat. The rotation wasn’t the strongest, but they made up for it with one of the best bullpens in the MLB. After winning the AL East for the first time since 2014, they know their championship window is now and the ace would help their chances.
Who Gets Cease?
Rosenthal claims that other teams like the Dodgers and Cardinals could be in the mix, but the most serious interest is from the Yankees and the Orioles.
If the asking price is truly a prospect package, the Yankees may be low on resources after already shipping off a bunch of their blue chips to San Diego for Juan Soto. The Orioles have the pieces to make a move, but the organization has a history of keeping their farm system guys in-house.
One thing is for certain, whatever team Cease is on come Opening Day will be one lucky organization.
Photo Credit: © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
