Chicago White Sox Sending Ace Dylan Cease to San Diego Padres in Blockbuster Trade

After months of rampant speculation, the Chicago White Sox have reportedly agreed to trade starting pitcher Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres.

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to trade starting pitcher Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wednesday evening.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Padres will be sending right-handed pitchers Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte and Steven Wilson back to the White Sox to complete the deal, as well as outfielder Samuel Zavala. Thorpe, Zavala and Iriarte are ranked as the No. 5, No. 7 and No. 8 prospects in San Diego's farm system.

BREAKING: The Padres and White Sox are reportedly in agreement on a deal that will send RHP Dylan Cease to San Diego. pic.twitter.com/1naiExinU1

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 13, 2024

It wasn’t all too long ago that the White Sox were considered to be content holding onto Cease until this summer’s trade deadline. The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers emerged as the favorites to trade for Cease earlier this week, however, only to get outbid by the Padres.

Cease is coming off a season in which he went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.418 WHIP and 2.4 WAR, marking his least efficient campaign since his rookie year in 2019.

The 28-year-old right-hander was the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2022, though. He leads all MLB pitchers with 97 starts over the past three seasons, going 34-24 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 11.8 WAR in that time.

Chicago avoided arbitration with Cease in January, locking in an $8 million salary for 2024. That is quite the palatable price for a high-end starting pitcher, especially for a San Diego team that was largely strapped for cash this winter.

The Padres will have Cease under team control for two seasons. Barring an extension, he will become a free agent in 2026.

San Diego now has a new ace after letting NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell enter free agency. Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo left to join the Kansas City Royals as well, effectively gutting half of the Padres' rotation.

The Padres had previously announced Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove as its first two starting pitchers once their regular season opens against the Los Angeles Dodgers in South Korea next week. It remains to be seen if Cease's arrival impacts those plans.

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