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

Right-hander Dylan Cease and the Chicago White Sox settled at $8 million for the 2024 season to avoid salary arbitration on Thursday, according to sources. Cease finished second in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022 by going 14-8 with a career-best 2.20 ERA (3.10 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with a league-high 78 walks and career-high 227 strikeouts over 32 starts (career-high 184 innings). He took a big step back in 2023, though, with a 4.58 ERA (3.72 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with 79 walks and 214 K's in 33 starts (177 innings). The 28-year-old is widely expected to be traded, at least by this summer's deadline, and he's extremely attractive to other clubs given his nasty stuff and high strikeout rate, not to mention two more years of club control. Cease is an attractive bounce-back candidate in 2024, especially if he's dealt to a contender.

Trade talk surrounding Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease has quieted in recent weeks, but it's not due to lack of interest. General manager Chris Getz said there "isn't a club out there that hasn't expressed some level of interest" in the 28-year-old hurler. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said the White Sox could be waiting for the few remaining big names on the free-agent market to come off the board to drive up demand for Cease among teams who miss out on the likes of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Marcus Stroman. Chicago's reported demand is high, as they're reportedly seeking multiple high-end prospects and some "fill-ins" in return. Both Rosenthal and ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers indicated that the Baltimore Orioles could be the strongest contender for Cease because of their deep farm system, which features six players ranked in MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden doesn't think the New York Mets are suitors for Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease this offseason because their new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, wants to be able to see the team's prospects for himself in spring training and wants to build the organization through scouting and player development, and to make a trade of this magnitude would set that process back. If the White Sox even approached the Mets about a trade, they'd likely be after some of the Mets' top prospects in Luisangel Acuna, Kevin Parada, Drew Gilbert, Jett Williams and Mike Vasil, potentially among others. Cease has two years of club control remaining and Cy Young-winning upside if he can put everything together in 2024.

The Chicago White Sox are weighing offers for right-hander Dylan Cease, and the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are among those to express "serious" interest, according to major-league sources briefed on the discussions. Other teams are serious, too, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox possibly in the mix. The Yankees moved seven pitchers to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Juan Soto, and after losing out on Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they might be inclined to push for Cease, who will cost around $25 million in his final two years of arbitration, as opposed to expected deals of at least $150 million for free-agent left-handers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. The Orioles, who has one of the best farm systems, are seemingly better positioned than the Yankees to make a trade. The 28-year-old Cease was a Cy Young runner-up in 2022 but had a 4.58 ERA last year.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Tuesday that the Seattle Mariners could be a potential trade destination for Chicago White Sox right-handed starter Dylan Cease. The 28-year-old's name has been at the center of trade talks this offseason, and while the Baltimore Orioles have been one of the teams popping up more frequently, Morosi said the Mariners could potentially trade for Cease and then trade away one of their younger pitchers for a hitter. Cease maintained his high strikeout numbers but regressed overall in 2023, going 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 27.3% strikeout rate, and 10.1% walk rate in 33 starts and 177 innings pitched. While there is a chance Cease does not end up getting traded, the consensus is that he will have a new uniform in 2024.