Following Gerrit Cole’s injury, the New York Yankees seemed more involved in the trade discussions. The Texas Rangers were also rumored to be interested. The Chicago White Sox were expected to trade Dylan Cease, the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up, at some point, with Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery available as free agents, the sooner, the better perhaps.
On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the San Diego Padres were acquiring Cease. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the White Sox are receiving three prospects (pitcher Drew Thorpe, outfielder Samuel Zavala, pitcher Jairo Iriarte) and veteran reliever Steven Wilson.
Thorpe, Zavala, and Iriarte were top-10 prospects in the Padres’ system, according to MLB Pipeline, and Thorpe is No. 85 on MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 prospects list entering this year. So it seems like a move a contender, or a team that sees itself as a contender, would make.
Cease is coming off a down year in 2023 (4.58 ERA), but his underlying stats weren’t significantly worse (10.9 K/9, 4.0 BB/9), and a 3.73 FIP suggests some bad luck. Nonetheless, he has started at least 32 games in three consecutive seasons and at 28 years old, he’s in his prime. He is under team control for one more year in 2025, so he is more than just a rental.
The Padres make a surprising move by acquiring Dylan Cease, outmaneuvering other strong contenders.
Thorpe was acquired by the Padres in the Juan Soto trade last December, which signaled a shift away from going all-in for the current year. Thorpe was viewed as a future-oriented piece in that deal.
The acquisition of Cease changes that approach, but the Padres have been projected to be around a .500 team this year (82-80 in 2023).
They also face tough competition in their division, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and the defending NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks. The San Francisco Giants may also improve after finishing 79-83 last year.
Padres’ general manager A.J. Preller is known for his bold moves. Cease comes at a relatively low cost for the next two years ($8 million this year, with a likely arbitration-driven raise next year), considering his talent.
However, trading for Cease, given the cost, suggests that the Padres have realistic aspirations for a strong season. While they may compete for a Wild Card spot, winning the NL West seems unlikely. The move could pay off, but trading three prospects for Cease appears unusual, especially after trading Soto just three months prior.
