With the newest report that the White Sox have no “off-limits” players and they are listening on everyone, including Dylan Cease, it opens up a new world of possibilities of trades.
The White Sox could trade off everyone and just restart the whole process, which might be the best thing to do. Keep Luis Robert and build around him properly for the future. It is a heavy seller’s market and the White Sox could get an absolute haul for Cease. It seems like 2-3 top-100 prospects would be the going rate for a pitcher with team control like Cease. Here are some potential trade packages with teams that should be interested.
Baltimore
This is an obvious match, as the Orioles have a ton of top-100 prospects but most of them are hitters. They have a great, young roster but the pitching can easily be improved, and they especially need an ace. This is where Dylan Cease would fit in perfectly.
CWS Sends: Dylan Cease, Aaron Bummer
BAL Sends: Jordan Westburg(BAL#3), Heston Kjerstad(BAL#4), DL Hall (BAL#9)
If Baltimore is very serious about winning, they should consider this trade. Baltimore has an insane amount of young talent in the outfield and the infield so many of their prospects are blocked. With Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, and Anthony Santander in the OF, there is no spot for Kjerstad. The same could be said about Westburg in the infield.
While Hall is not a top 100 prospect anymore, he is still graded 55 overall on the prospect scale and would be a good project for the Sox to work with during a rebuild, as he is a lefty pitcher with top-of-the-rotation ability.
If Chicago gets a proposal like this, it would rival the return they got for Chris Sale, but hopefully, pan out better. This would immediately vault Chicago into a top 10 farm system as Westburg would be our #2 prospect, Kjerstad our #3, and the Sox would have five top-100 prospects.
Wesburg would profile as our second basemen of the future, as he has the potential to be a very good power hitter for second base. He would be an above-average defender and would hopefully fix the second-base problem. The best part is, he would be able to join the big league team right away, as he has been playing for Baltimore.
Kjerstad would easily be the right-fielder of the future and would make a nice trio with Robert and Benni. He is at AAA and would likely be promoted if he was traded to the White Sox. I do love Colas, but if you have the opportunity to get a player of Kjerstad’s level, you take it.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati is in a similar spot to Baltimore. They have a bunch of young talent, but the thing they lack the most is an ace. Lucky for the White Sox, they have a lot of top prospects that could entice the Sox to trade them Dylan Cease. Here is what a Reds package could look like:
CWS Sends: Dylan Cease, Keynan Middleton
CIN Sends: Noelvi Marte(CIN#1), Cam Collier (CIN#3), Chase Petty (CIN#5)
This would be another great haul for the Chicago White Sox if they were to get an offer like this. They would get two top 100 prospects, and a rising pitcher in Petty, who they really liked in the draft process a few years ago.
The Reds currently face a problem with an absolutely stacked, young infield. At the major league level, they have three guys that could easily be at their position for the foreseeable future. On top of that all of their top 100 prospects are infielders, so that creates a log jam. The White Sox could take some of the talent off of their hands in a Dylan Cease trade.
Marte would be the headliner, as he could be a five-tool threat for the White Sox on the left side of the infield. He could probably even slot in at second base every day if the Sox keep Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada. This would be a great get for the White Sox.
Collier is a bit younger, but for an 18-year-old to already be a top prospect is a great sign and he will rise quickly through the ranks. The son of Lou Collier, he is a very toolsy prospect that could turn into a star. He would be a nice addition to the farm system, as he is likely 3-4 years out, so it would create waves of prospects coming to the big leagues.
Petty is another fringe top-100 guy the Sox loved coming out of the draft in 2021, but they ended up taking Colson Montgomery instead. Here, they would get another pitcher with high upside that could be in the rotation shortly.
This would be a great haul and if both teams are offering this, you can’t go wrong with either package. The Orioles can offer you a return where the players are essentially ready this year or early next year, and the Reds can offer you more of a long-term package. It all just depends on what route the Sox want to go.
Great