Dylan Cease's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

The San Diego Padres have acquired star right-hander Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. The 28-year-old's name has been a staple in the rumor mill this offseason with Cease being connected to a number of teams. Ultimately, it's the Padres who have acquired the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up. Cease worked to a 2.20 ERA in that 2022 campaign but regressed to a 4.58 ERA across 33 starts in the 2023 season. He sports a career 3.83 ERA across 123 big-league starts along with a strong 28.1% K% in that time. However, he also tends to struggle with control by way of a 10.4% career walk rate. Cease's fantasy value gets a boost from a wins perspective on a superior Padres club but a move from the weak AL Central to what should be a strong NL West can have a negative impact.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday that there are "growing indications" that the Chicago White Sox are more serious about trading starting pitcher Dylan Cease, and that the Texas Rangers may have been in recent discussions. The reigning World Series champions currently have several key injured rotation pieces and also lost Jordan Montgomery to free agency, so bringing in a pitcher like Cease would greatly help them. While he has yielded varying results throughout his career, Cease still projects as a higher-end fantasy option. Joining the Rangers would certainly give his fantasy value a relative boost.

The New York Yankees, while awaiting news on right-hander Gerrit Cole's elbow, have re-engaged the Chicago White Sox and made a new trade proposal for ace Dylan Cease. However, the new offer once again didn't include prized outfield prospect Spencer Jones, so it's unclear if the White Sox will seriously consider it. Cole is now unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, and he could miss extended time, depending on what further tests on his elbow reveal. The 28-year-old Cease would give the Yankees another weapon at the top of their starting rotation. If he remains in Chicago, Cease is expected to start on Opening Day on March 28 as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing year in 2023 after finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting in 2022. Cease has plenty of strikeout upside for fantasy managers and would become even more attractive if he were wearing pinstripes in the Bronx.

The Seattle Mariners have shown interest in trading for Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease. The 28-year-old is set to make eight million dollars this year and is poised to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. After excellent 2021 and 2022 seasons, Cease regressed and had an average performance in 2023 with a 4.07 expected ERA and 1.42 walks and hits per inning pitched. The Mariners had one of the best rotations a year ago, led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert, while youngster Bryan Woo showed flashes. If Cease could return to his old form, he would further bolster one of the league's better rotations.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease is believed to be staying put for now despite several teams interested in acquiring the right-hander. The White Sox have reportedly put a high price on the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up but rival clubs have yet to pony up to the current asking price. As a result, the club is likelier to hold onto Cease into the regular season and see if their price is met prior to the trade deadline. While the 28-year-old tossed a 2.20 ERA in 2022, he slipped to a 4.58 mark across 33 starts in the 2023 season while seeing regression in walk rate, strikeout rate, ground-ball rate, and home run rate. In 123 career starts across parts of five big-league seasons, Cease sports a 3.83 ERA alongside a 17.7% K-BB% in 658 innings pitched, making at least 32 starts in each of the last three seasons.