Dylan Cease was not involved in the Chicago White Sox' 2023 trade deadline fire sale. The most valuable pitcher on the White Sox roster, Dylan Cease was highly sought-after by contenders looking to upgrade their rotation. The decision to turn down those offers could end up haunting Chicago in the long run.

Following reports that the White Sox dodged trade calls regarding Cease, there were rumors in the minutes before the deadline that Cease might be traded. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles were thought to have their eyes on Cease. The Houston Astros reportedly viewed landing Cease as their “dream” 2023 trade deadline scenario.

Cease's 2023 stats aren't all that impressive. The starting pitcher has a 4-4 record with a 1.34 WHIP. Cease's 4.15 ERA is nearly twice as high as it was a season ago. The right-hander still has dominant stuff and proved in 2022 that he can be an ace.

Buyers at the trade deadline were desperate for starting pitching. The Texas Rangers added two starters in Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery. The Astros brought Justin Verlander back to Houston. The Dodgers tried to acquire Eduardo Rodriguez, who used his no-trade clause to stay with the Detroit Tigers. Had the White Sox optimized the trade deadline, Cease would also be part of that list.

Let's examine why the White Sox will regret not trading Dylan Cease ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

The White Sox needed to blow up the roster

Despite being big sellers at the 2023 trade deadline, the White Sox haven't committed to a full rebuild. Chicago mostly traded pitchers who are headed for free agency and probably were going to leave on their own in a few months. By holding onto the likes of Cease, Luis Robert and Tim Anderson, the White Sox plan to contend in the 2024 season.

The White Sox are deluding themselves if they believe they have a real chance to be among the American League's best teams in a year. Maybe Chicago can vie for the AL Central title if it remains a historically weak division, but that's not something the organization can bank on. Even if the White Sox do sneak into the 2024 playoffs, they won't be much of a threat to the Astros, Tampa Bay Rays or whatever new contender emerges.

Chicago isn't the St. Louis Cardinals or the New York Yankees, a team that is having a down year after a long stretch of sustained competitiveness. It's been 18 years since Chicago won a playoff series. The White Sox have a bottom-tier roster in both the major leagues and the minor leagues. Only four organizations ranked lower than Chicago in MLB.com's preseason farm-system rankings.

The White Sox received a pair of promising young players in exchange for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. The Miami Marlins traded their No. 4 prospect for Jake Burger. By trading Cease, Chicago could've added a few of the best prospects in baseball. The White Sox farm system is improved, but it didn't receive the significant upgrade that it desperately needed.

Dylan Cease could be gone when the White Sox are ready to contend

Chicago shouldn't have tried to unload every talented player on its roster ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. It made sense, for instance, that the White Sox held onto Luis Robert Jr. A 25-year-old All-Star who is under contract—at an extraordinarily team-friendly $16.9 million AAV beyond this season—through the 2027 season, Robert could realistically be part of Chicago's next championship core. It's far less likely that Cease will share that distinction with Robert.

Cease is two years older than Robert and will celebrate his 32nd birthday in 2027. There's a good chance Cease will be doing so outside of Chicago. The pitcher is only under the White Sox' control through the 2025 season. If playoff success continues to elude the team over the next couple of years, Cease might very well be headed for greener pastures as a free agent.

A more likely scenario is that Chicago won't let him hit free agency. Cease will become the 2025 version of Giolio, available at the trade deadline because the White Sox are out of contention and don't want to lose their starter in free agency without getting prospects in return. Obviously, the trade package that Chicago could've received for a 27-year-old Cease with two-plus years of control would dwarf what the White Sox will be able to get for a 29-year-old rental.

Cease' value might never be higher. He finished second in the AL Cy Young voting less than nine months ago. Given the expensive package of prospects that Houston traded for a 40-year-old Verlander, you can be sure that the Astros were ready to pay a premium for Cease.