Sep 17, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are aggressively targeting Dylan Cease.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Yankees are among teams to express “sincere” interest in trading for the White Sox ace.
Rosenthal adds Chicago is fielding offers for Cease and that the Orioles, Dodgers, Cardinals and Red Sox are “in the mix” as well. He notes that the White Sox seem virtually locked to move the 28-year-old, who won’t reach free agency until 2026, as they look to re-tool their roster.
The move makes sense for the Bombers who desperately need starting pitcher after missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but it will be interesting to see how aggressive they are after giving up seven players to acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres – though none were viewed as elite-level prospects.
Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes and Shane Bieber are amongst other notable arms on the market, but Cease holds the most value since he still has two years of team control remaining.
Signing a player like Snell or Montgomery would likely require the Yanks to give out a salary of around $25MM or more per season, with the taxes effectively doubling that. Given that, Cease is the most attractive name available.
The 28-year-old righty is coming off a down year (4.58 ERA) by his standards, but his upside is undeniable. He had a 2.20 earned run average in 2022, finishing 2nd in Cy-Young voting, only behind Justin Verlander.
For now? Stay tuned.
