Dylan Cease

The Seattle Mariners have reportedly been involved in trade discussions surrounding Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

According to Nightengale, the White Sox are seeking a potential deal involving starting pitchers Bryce Young or Bryan Woo.

"The Seattle Mariners have quietly entered trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for ace Dylan Cease, with the White Sox seeking a package centered around young starters Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo," Nightengale wrote.

Earlier this week, it was reported the White Sox held a lofty asking price for Cease, and now it seems they are at least looking to add some young arms to the rotation.

Cease, who is gearing up for his sixth MLB campaign, notched 214 strikeouts and a 4.58 ERA in 33 starts last year. Both his strikeout numbers and ERA saw regression in 2023 compared to the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, but he's looking to improve this season.

While it seems Cease, who is 28, is still potentially in the mix for a trade, Chicago named him its Opening Day starter earlier this week, so the White Sox at least appear to be preparing to enter the season with Cease on the roster.

If Chicago does end up dealing with Seattle, Miller and Woo could both be promising options.

Miller, who is 25 and was drafted in 2021, made his MLB debut last season. In 25 starts, he notched 119 strikeouts and a 4.32 ERA. Woo, who is 23 and was also drafted in 2021, started 18 games in his first MLB campaign last year, picking up 93 strikeouts and a 4.21 ERA.

While Cease has the veteran status and some more experience compared to Miller and Woo, either of the two young players could be valuable pieces for Chicago's future.

Any team looking to trade for Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease should be prepared to pay a lofty price.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, one MLB GM said that the White Sox's asking price for the righty is "the sun and the moon."

Chicago has also already named Cease its Opening Day starter, which seems to indicate it won't deal him before the start of the season.

Last year in his fifth MLB campaign, Cease notched 214 strikeouts in 177 innings pitched, posting a 7-9 record. He had a relatively disappointing 2023, with fewer strikeouts, a higher ERA and a lower WAR, per Baseball Reference, than he had in 2022. He also gave up a career-high 172 hits and a career-high 98 runs while posting a below-average 97 ERA+.

As the 28-year-old has two years of club control remaining—and considering the scarcity of talented young starting pitching on the market—there's no need for the White Sox to rush a trade. The club faces long odds to make the playoffs in 2024 and at the least needs serious retooling, so Cease could be one of the hottest names at the July 30 trade deadline.

ESPN Jesse Rogers reported in early January that Chicago is looking for "multiple" high-end prospects and some "fill-ins," and it doesn't seem as though general manager Chris Getz has had a change of heart.

For now, having been named the Opening Day starter, Cease gets a little peace of mind that he will likely be with Chicago to start this season.

As the Chicago White Sox continue to entertain trade offers for Dylan Cease, interested teams now know how much money the 28-year-old will be making in 2024.

Per Robert Murray of FanSided, Cease and the White Sox avoided arbitration by agreeing to an $8 million salary.

The deal is actually pretty friendly toward the White Sox. MLB Trade Rumors projected Cease to earn $8.8 million next season.

While the $800,000 difference isn't going to be a sticking point in trade talks for teams because it's already a bargain salary for a pitcher of Cease's caliber, it can't hurt anything if the White Sox want to make a move.

General manager Chris Getz told reporters on Tuesday that trade talks involving Cease are "ongoing," but it doesn't necessarily mean they are going to do something before the season begins.

"It's ever evolving in terms of the urgency of other clubs," Getz said. "It could be in the offseason. It could at the deadline. It could be in May. There's just so many different factors when you're talking about 29 other clubs."

Getz also made clear he's seeking multiple high-end prospects in any potential deal. The Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets are among the teams that have expressed interest in Cease at points this offseason.

There's no reason for Getz to settle for anything less than what he wants. Cease is under team control through 2025 and is making pennies relative to his actual value this season.

Cease's 4.58 ERA last season was his worst since he was a rookie in 2019, but that says much more about how bad the White Sox defense was in 2023 than anything negative about his performance.

Chicago ranked last in MLB in FanGraphs' defensive value and 29th in defensive runs saved. Cease went from finishing second in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 with a 2.20 ERA to more than doubling that number last season.

Despite the sharp increase in his ERA, Cease posted his third consecutive season with at least 200 strikeouts. He leads all pitchers with 97 starts since 2021.

As the free-agent pitching market starts to pick up, the Chicago White Sox may not be in a rush to trade Dylan Cease before the start of the season.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, there is "more of a sense" now that White Sox general manager Chris Getz could keep the right-hander to begin the 2024 campaign with the idea of moving him at the trade deadline or later because he doesn't want to rush a significant deal.

As for the teams that could make a strong offer to the White Sox, it appears that market might be dwindling because of the high asking price.

Rogers noted the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are both unlikely to deal for Cease right now because Getz wants "multiple high-end prospects (one won't be enough) and some 'fill-ins,'" but they are reluctant to give up that much.

The Yankees already traded away several young players to acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, though they did keep their top three prospects in that deal.

Rogers reported on Tuesday that the Cubs were nearing an agreement with Shōta Imanaga, so their interest in adding another starter via trade may not be as high as it was.

The Cincinnati Reds are another team that expressed interest in Cease earlier this offseason. Since that time, though, they have signed Jeimer Candelario, Frankie Montas, Nick Martinez and Emilio Pagan.

While none of those contracts is of significant value, the Reds aren't a team that likes to make an all-in move. They do have a surplus of high-upside players on the infield to build an attractive package for Cease, but Rogers noted their previous moves could mark the end of their major offseason additions.

The one team looming out there with both the need for a top-of-the-rotation starter and prospect package to make an offer that would entice the White Sox are the Baltimore Orioles.

Even with all of the young players they had debut last season, the Orioles still own the best farm system in MLB. Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall prospect, would presumably be off the table in any trade talks.

But MLB.com also ranks Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo as top-50 prospects.

One front office executive told Rogers the Orioles "could use Cease more than the White Sox right now." They won 101 games last season with Kyle Gibson leading their rotation in innings pitched.

Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez both had very good performances in 2023. They are going to be important pitchers for the Orioles this season, but Cease would be the potential No. 1 starter they need to challenge for a World Series.

Cease's 4.58 ERA last season was inflated because Chicago's defense was the worst in MLB. He had 214 strikeouts in 33 starts. It was his third consecutive year with at least 200 strikeouts.

The Orioles haven't had a pitcher record at least 200 strikeouts in a season since Érik Bédard in 2007.

Getz and the White Sox are operating from a position of power because Cease has two more years of team control before hitting free agency after the 2025 season. They need to hit big on this trade if it happens coming off 101 losses in 2023, so getting as many potential suitors involved as possible is in their best interest.