We have finally circled back to the point of Dylan Cease trade rumors, as many different sources have reported teams have re-engaged the White Sox about moving their ace. A trade seems very likely, as national reporters have picked up the story, like Jon Morosi.
The Rangers and Padres are new teams in the bidding, as we haven’t heard much about them being linked to Cease in the past. The Yankees have been linked for a while, but a trade is not getting done if they do not include top prospect Spencer Jones. It seems that the White Sox may be more open at this point, as Chris Getz has called Cease to let him know about the rumors.
This is very interesting, as it seemed like the White Sox were ready to ride this out into the season, potentially moving him at the trade deadline. Now, it seems likely that Cease is wearing a new uniform in a few weeks.
There could be a few reasons for the renewed interest by teams and Chris Getz. The first reason could be that Dylan Cease has pitched very well this Spring Training, showcasing what scouts knew he was capable of doing. Second, teams have been hit with the injury bug, creating a huge need for an ace on their team. This has happened to the Yankees, as there is a lot of uncertainty around Gerit Cole’s status for this season, as he is currently undergoing tests.
Lastly, perhaps the White Sox have been pleased with the results of some of their younger pitchers this spring and have been more engaging in talks. This could be due to the performance of one of their top pitching prospects, Nick Nastrini.
Nastrini came over in the Lance Lynn/Joe Kelly trade with the Dodgers and was heralded as an almost MLB ready pitching prospect. He pitched well in the minors after the trade, making his way all the way to AAA Charlotte. He had an outside chance to make the team out of Spring Training due to the sheer number of pitchers he had to beat out, but he is looking primed to join the starting rotation, especially if Cease is traded.
So far he has looked absolutely fantastic this Spring Training, as he struck out seven batters in three innings in yesterday’s game, and has looked great in every other appearance.
These are fantastic stats, and considering the White Sox have nothing to lose this season, he would make a fantastic addition to the Opening Day roster. Perhaps Chris Getz has seen Nastrini’s evolution into a big league starting pitcher and is now more open to trading Cease. Nastrini is on track to be a part of the rotation when the White Sox are competitive, so they might as well get him acclimated to the major leagues.
While it is likely a combination of teams getting desperate and the emergence of Nick Nastrini, we should not overlook how the Spring Training performances by Nastrini could have provided Chris Getz with the confidence to trade Cease and still be relatively competitive in 2024.
