The Dylan Cease trade rumors persisted on Tuesday with Ken Rosenthal’s report regarding the Chicago White Sox. As previously reported, the New York Yankees are in discussions with Chicago and have a new trade proposal on the table that doesn’t include heralded prospect Spencer Jones. The Yankees will be without Cy Young Gerrit Cole for up to two months, leaving them needing another arm. In the latest report, additional teams have thrown their hat in the ring for Cease’s services.
The White Sox are entertaining offers from the reigning World Series champions, the Texas Rangers. The San Diego Padres are also in the mix. Both teams have clear pitching needs with starters Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell still on the free-agent market. Additionally, Texas will be without injured hurlers Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tyler Mahle to begin the season.
The Players
The Rangers will need to fill three holes in their starting rotation as they begin their title defense while keeping up with the Houston Astros. Houston has taken the division crown in the last six consecutive full seasons.
The disappointing Padres are without reigning Cy Young champion Blake Snell, who may re-sign. Their rotation consists of young and talented but inexperienced starting pitchers after Jack Flaherty and Seth Lugo departed in free agency. The Padres must compete with the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers, who have taken the NL West in 10 of the last 11 years.
Dylan Cease would immediately bolster San Diego’s rotation and move into the second spot in their rotation behind Yu Darvish. If Snell returns, they’d boast one of the baseball’s best pitching staffs.
