Since early December, when rumors circulated that the White Sox would hold off on considering bids for the right-hander until the free agency pitching market had been somewhat more defined, there hasn’t been much news around Dylan Cease. It was known that the Reds were among the teams considering Cease, but 670 According to Bruce Levine of The Score, the Sox requested a four-player trade package that included two position-player prospects and pitching prospects Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty.
More information on Chicago’s demands is provided by Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jason Williams, who reports that the White Sox desired Connor Phillips, Lowder, Edwin Arroyo, and “at least one more prospect.” This could indicate that the Sox desired a return of five players, including
Although certain players on his club clearly have far higher asking prices than others, new White Sox general manager Chris Getz has been transparent about his willingness to talk trade talks with any player on the team. Though the two have different degrees of team control, Luis Robert Jr. might be the only player that is nearly totally untouchable, and Cease might not be far behind. Although Cease only has two more years of arbitration eligibility left before he can become a free agent in the 2025–2026 offseason, Robert has two club options in his contract that control his services through the 2027 season.
However, having a top pitcher like Cease for two years is still pretty beneficial, especially for a White Sox team looking to
Although certain players on his club clearly have far higher asking prices than others, new White Sox general manager Chris Getz has been transparent about his willingness to talk trade talks with any player on the team. Though the two have different degrees of team control, Luis Robert Jr. might be the only player that is nearly totally untouchable, and Cease might not be far behind. Although Cease only has two more years of arbitration eligibility left before he can become a free agent in the 2025–2026 offseason, Robert has two club options in his contract that control his services through the 2027 season.
Additionally, even though the reported four-for-one or five-for-one sounds like a stretch, it is still too early to rule out the Reds from any future Cease discussions. Cincinnati has been active in strengthening its bullpen and rotation by acquiring Nick Martinez and Emilio Pagan. Jeimer Candelario has further strengthened Cincinnati’s infield position. The likelihood that the Reds could deal an infielder, either for Cease or another pitcher, appears to have increased with the signing of Candelario.
However, having a top pitcher like Cease for two years is still pretty beneficial, especially for a White Sox team However, the Sox and Reds might not align as well on a Cease trade as it might seem because the White Sox are rumored to be chasing pitching. Any team would naturally be apprehensive to deal with three of its best pitching prospects, but the Reds in especially would be cautious to purge their pitching resources given how much more they have in their farm system (the infield). Though it’s possible that the Reds would be open to considering a package that included Arroyo, a different position player, and one pitcher in exchange for Cease, it seems sense that Cincinnati wouldn’t want to send along at least two of Phillips, Lowder, and Petty in addition to the already sizable return oflooking to