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The Chicago White Sox are rebuilding. They traded key pitchers such as Lucas Giolito to the Los Angeles Angels and Lance Lynn to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2023 deadline. One pitcher who was not traded is Dylan Cease.
Cease, 27, was an AL Cy Young finalist in 2022. His 2023 campaign hasn't been quite as impressive, but he was linked to various teams nonetheless. In the end, Chicago opted to hold onto Cease for now, a move that was questioned by some. However, today we are looking at why the White Sox were right not to trade Cease ahead of the 2023 deadline.
Dylan Cease's contract
It isn't as if Cease will be a free agent this offseason. In fact, he still has two years of team control remaining, per Spotrac. Chicago can use that time to gauge their future. Given their current roster construction, the White Sox may not be competitive for a few years, but they can try to extend Cease and build their rotation around him.
With Giolito and Lynn out of the picture, it's clear that Cease is the ace of the future.
If the White Sox end up struggling again next year and it becomes apparent that an extension isn't going to happen, Chicago can trade Cease next season. The Sox will still receive a generous trade package since Cease will still have an extra year of team control remaining. Or, Chicago could even entertain offers for the starting pitcher during the upcoming offseason.
The point is that because of Dylan Cease's contract, the White Sox did not have to trade him prior to the 2023 deadline.
White Sox future
The White Sox's current starting pitching depth has question marks. Cease is joined by Mike Clevinger, Michael Kopech, and Touki Toussaint in the rotation. Realistically, only Kopech is expected to be apart of Chicago's long-term future. Clevinger will be a free agent at season's end and Toussaint was a mid-season free agent signing.
Chicago has some interesting young pitching prospects in their farm system though. Noah Schultz, Jake Eder, and Nick Nastrini (recently acquired from Dodgers) make up their No. 3, 4, and 5 prospects, per MLB.com. So how does this relate to the White Sox's decision to keep Dylan Cease?
These pitchers may play a role in Chicago's rotation at some point down the road. Some of them may even impact the big league ball club in 2024. Developing a steady core of starting pitchers around Cease may entice him into signing a long-term extension with the White Sox.
Should the White Sox trade Dylan Cease during the offseason or ahead of the 2024 deadline?
As aforementioned, the White Sox still can trade Dylan Cease at some point down the road. That's why their decision to keep him prior to the 2023 deadline was the best option. Cease has flexibility because of his contract, and Chicago can evaluate their situation during the offseason and next year.
For now, Cease is still a member of a struggling White Sox franchise. At the very least, Chicago has hope for the future with Cease still on the roster.
It will be especially interesting to see if Cease starts to pitch better with the MLB trade deadline now come and gone. Perhaps the swirling trade rumors played a role in his underperformance. It would not be shocking by any means if Cease finished the '23 campaign on a high note.
