There has been plenty of trade buzz surrounding Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease for much of the offseason following a dreadful 61-win season from the South Siders, but speculation regarding a potential deal hasn't been as loud as it has been in recent days. With Opening Day approaching and teams such as the New York Yankees experiencing injury scares, trading for Cease is becoming a borderline need for some to bolster their rotation.
However, the White Sox have set an exorbitant price for any Cease trade, as is justified since Cease is only making $8 million this season and he remains under team control for next year, and some are even hopeful that they can turn things around as some of the players in their successful 2021 season are still on the roster.
At this point, even White Sox manager Pedro Grifol doesn't know whether or not Dylan Cease will be on the roster come Opening Day since he doesn't know how concrete the other teams' interest in Cease actually is.
“I don’t know. I mean, how am I supposed to know? I don’t know what’s going to happen out there. I don’t know where other teams are, what their urgency is,” Grifol told reporters during Spring Training, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Of course, if given the choice Pedro Grifol would want the White Sox to keep Dylan Cease. Cease is the team's ace, and thus far in Spring Training, he looks fresh and ready to bounce back from a bit of a down campaign in 2023. Over 8.1 innings of Cactus League action, Cease has tallied a 2.16 ERA, looking more and more like his peak self.
Alas, the White Sox's hand might be forced if a huge trade offer comes in for Cease, hence the uncertainty surrounding the situation. Many teams have been monitoring the situation, with the most prominent two being the Yankees and the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers, so it'll be interesting to see if or when Cease is traded away.
There are 16 days to go before the White Sox host the Detroit Tigers for Opening Day action, so the clock is ticking.
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