In a pitcher-starved market, the White Sox acquired Dylan Cease as a wild card.
And while he appears to be up for grabs, it won't happen until another team the White Sox believe has value in him (the Yankees are among his suitors) offers something in return.
“All it takes is one team willing to jump out and make a deal,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters in Chicago on Tuesday. “In the case of Dylan, I don't think there's a club that wouldn't show some level of interest in him. Their situations are all different.
“If we felt there was a fit that would improve our club, we would strongly consider it. Certainly nothing like that is happening at the moment.”
The Yankees, who still have a hole in their rotation after losing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are not alone in their interest in the 28-year-old right-hander, who could lead the team for two more years.
But the White Sox may not be willing (or able) to part with the prospects they're looking for, especially after trading Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez and Johnny Brito to the Padres for Juan Soto already this year. I don't know yet if there is. Off season.
The White Sox's Joel Sherman reported that executives, including those involved with the White Sox, were offering three shares of premium prospects.
The fiercest competition for the Yankees' break may come from their own division.
The Orioles, the current AL East champions, have one of the best farm systems in the game, and would be in a good position for the C's to put together an attractive package to strengthen their young rotation. .
Cease, who is expected to make around $8.8 million in arbitration in 2024 (per MLB trade rumors), could be a better fit for the Orioles' budget than top free agent arms Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. There is also gender.
The Dodgers, who have already dominated the offseason, cannot be counted as another candidate.
“We've talked about Dylan Cease, but we also know that we're not going to move a player like Dylan or another player unless we feel we can benefit from it,” Goetz said. . “It has to be right for all parties. Many of these conversations are ongoing. There is a lot that goes into any kind of trade deal. There are a lot of things that go into getting to the finish line. It takes conversations, preparation and research. We'll continue to do that during the offseason to find ways to make our club better.”
The White Sox may wait to sign Snell and Montgomery to encourage bidding among teams that were unable to acquire them. Goetz said it's “hard to tell” whether that will happen.
“When you talk about these high-profile players and how it affects Dylan and other players, it's true for some, but not for everyone,” Goetz said. “Every organization has different types of players. Those players, how they fit into your club, those are all different factors in making decisions.”
If no team offers the package they're looking for, the White Sox could enter the season with Reese in the rotation by the trade deadline, perhaps at the risk of injury.
“It's always evolving in terms of the urgency of other clubs,” Goetz said. “It could be in the offseason. It could be near the deadline. It could be in May. There are so many different factors when you talk about the other 29 clubs.”
When asked if the White Sox were looking for someone closer to the MLB or a lower-level minor league prospect, Goetz seemed interested in that combination.
“For sustainability, it's important that if you can find a deal, you want it to help you both in the short and long term,” Goetz said.
“So there could potentially be players going to our minor league system that could definitely help our major league club. Certainly, we need to make this a balanced attack. We're hopeful that we'll see immediate benefits. Sometimes we don't. We're looking for ways to improve both in the short and long term.”
