White Sox finally found the 'right time' for Dylan Cease trade, leaving Yankees hanging

PHOENIX — The Chicago White Sox could have kept waiting to see if the New York Yankees eventually panicked and gave up prized outfield prospect Spencer Jones.

They could have waited to see if the Texas Rangers would have coughed up a better package of prospects closer to opening day.

Instead, they believed that Dylan Cease’s trade value would not get any higher after his last spring-training start, and once the San Diego Padres included a young outfield prospect in their proposal, they pounced.

The Yankees, who had every intention of acquiring Cease, now will likely turn to the free agent market and engage with Michael Lorenzen, or perhaps even Mike Clevinger, while seeing if Blake Snell’s asking price drops.

The Rangers may turn once again to owner Ray Davis and plead their case for making an offer to bring back free-agent starter Jordan Montgomery, who would love to return.

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The Padres, after trading away All-Star outfielder Juan Soto and letting Cy Young winner Blake Snell walk, have let everyone know they still plan to be a contender.

And for the White Sox?

They now are in their second massive rebuild in six years, hoping that pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarate, along with middle reliever Steven Wilson and outfield prospect Samuel Zavala, are the haul they need to jump-start their way back to being a contender.

“We felt it was the right time to make this trade," White Sox GM Chris Getz said Thursday. “We had a threshold that we felt that needed to be met. Up until [Wednesday], we didn’t feel like we had a deal on the table that met the mark. It finally came together and we moved on it."

The White Sox, who had been shopping Cease all winter, never got close to trading him until his last outing on Tuesday when he struck out eight batters in 3 ⅓ innings against the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees increased their offer, but still refused to include Jones. The Rangers made an offer. And the Padres included Zavala in their proposal, which persuaded the White Sox to jump on it.

“His last outing vs. Cincinnati was an impressive one," Getz said.  “There was a lot of buzz at that game. Unsurprisingly, teams really stepped up."

Suitors still believed in Cease, who finished second in the American League Cy Young race two years ago, but needed to be convinced he was the same pitcher after struggling last season with a 7-9 record and 4.58 ERA. He squashed those doubts this spring, yielding six hits and two runs with 14 strikeouts in 8 ⅓ innings.

“Last year wasn't Dylan's best year," Getz said. "There was a level of concern that perhaps he wasn't going to get back to who he's been in the past. Other teams comfort levels were raised when they were able to see it in person. ….

“We had a highly motivated team that wanted to start the year out with Dylan Cease."

Reviews of the trade are mixed among MLB scouts. Some thought the return was too light considering that catcher Ethan Salas, left-handed starter Robby Snelling or right-hander Dylan Lesko were not included. Thorpe, whom the Padres acquired from the Yankees in the Soto trade, was the only prospect ranked among the top 100 by MLB Pipeline (85).

Scouts rave about Thorpe’s change-up, but say he doesn’t overwhelm you, and project him to be a No. 3 or No. 4 starter. Iriarate has the best raw talent, hitting 100-mph on the gun, but may wind up as a closer instead of a front-line starter. The wild card is Zavala, a player some scouts compare to former Colorado Rockies three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove center fielder Carlos Gonzalez, and others to two-time Gold Glove winner Gerardo Parra. Zavala, 19, hit 14 homers and stole 21 bases last season at Class A.

If the White Sox waited, and kept Cease until the July 30 trade deadline, perhaps they could have received a better package considering Cease is earning just $8 million this season and isn’t a free agent until after the 2025 season. Then again, if they waited, they were also gambling Cease would be healthy and pitching as he did in 2022.

“That's a risk," Getz said. “Were we willing to take that? Of course, we were willing to take that into the season.

“However, there is no denying a lot of things can happen on a baseball field throughout the season. You weigh that risk with the offer that was given to us by San Diego, we felt like that was something that was likely not to be met if we would have taken that into the season."

The Padres, who of course could have held onto their prospects if they just re-signed Snell, say they simply don’t have the money to keep him. They slashed about $90 million from their payroll, leaving only about $20 million to spend. They still would like to acquire at least one more outfielder, and have engaged in talks with free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham.

Yet, they still believe they can contend for at least a wild-card berth, and with a rotation of Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Cease and Michael King, to go along with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts, they could be formidable if they reach the postseason.

“We like our group, we like where we’re at," GM A.J. Preller told reporters before leaving for Seoul, South Korea. “The ability to acquire someone like Dylan Cease, add another horse to the front of our rotation, we couldn’t pass that up."

The White Sox, meanwhile, hope to contend again within two years. They’re still open for business with center fielder Luis Robert Jr. the only untouchable, while dangling pitcher Michael Kopech, who’s now being converted to the bullpen, along with third baseman Yoan Moncada and slugger Eloy Jimenez.

Certainly, Getz needs this return to be much more productive than when they traded ace Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for Kopech and Moncada, who have been huge disappointments.

“We feel like it was a very balanced deal," Getz said. “And we’re not talking about guys that are in rookie ball or A-ball. We’re talking about guys that are going to touch our major-league club and are going to be at the lower minor leagues and working towards the big leagues as well. …

“To inject this type of talent into the organization, I woke up excited today."

The Padres, who departed for South Korea, will wake up from their flight feeling a whole lot better, too. Cease is scheduled to meet the team in Seoul. The Padres once again are contenders, believing that last year’s bitterly disappointing season was an aberration.

“If you’re going to be serious about winning, which we are, this was something we targeted all offseason long,” Preller said. “Obviously, getting somebody of the quality of Dylan Cease, I think, speaks to the fact that we think we have a chance to win and compete.”

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