Could Philadelphia Phillies Acquire White Sox Ace in Massive Trade?
The unusually quiet winter for the Philadelphia Phillies has gotten some people suspicious that they could make a major move right before the start of the upcoming season.
Signing one of the top remaining free agents they've been connected to would certainly constitute as a headlining action.
But, perhaps the biggest move they could pull off would to be a trade for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease.
The right-hander is coming off a season where he regressed in 2023 with a 4.38 ERA, but he still struck out 214 batters and started 33 games.
Cease has long been on the trade block, but the White Sox have not found a trade package they like enough in return to justify parting with the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up.
Part of that is their asking price is extremely high.
Chicago wants multiple elite prospects in exchange for the starter.
The Phillies would likely have to give up one of, if not both, their star prospects in Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford. Their No. 1 overall prospect, Andrew Painter, might have to be included as well.
It would certainly be a steep price to land Cease, but might be something Philadelphia could consider.
With two years of club control remaining, the Phillies would get a cheap asset who can help them win right now, while also giving themselves insurance in case Zack Wheeler departs in free agency after this season.
Cease would slide into the ace role and Aaron Nola would continue to have a one-two tandem with another Cy Young runner-up.
While it might seem farfetched, the White Sox general manager Chris Getz said that multiple teams are still inquiring about the availability of the righty.
"... Teams are still calling. They are still trying to work on a deal that works for both sides. If there’s a match somewhere, we’ll do it," he mentioned on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio.
Maybe Philadelphia is one of those teams.
Landing one of the best pitchers in the league to go with their already elite rotation would be a move that gets them closer to winning a World Series championship.
