Chris Getz, Chicago White Sox senior vice president and general manager, takes questions at a press conference to announce his promotion to the new positions at Guaranteed Rate Field Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
From last season to now, the Boston Red Sox’s biggest need has been starting pitching. As Red Sox Nation knows, said need has gone mostly unaddressed this offseason.
And even though any true starting pitcher could make Boston’s current rotation better, the Chicago White Sox’s exorbitant price for Dylan Cease placed him firmly out of reality for the stingy Red Sox.
The San Diego Padres gave Chicago four players in exchange for Cease. After losing Blake Snell to and Michael Wacha to free agency this winter, San Diego was desperate to make a deal for pitching that wouldn’t cost money.
The Padres sent prospects Drew Thorpe, acquired from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade earlier this year, Jairo Iriarte and Samuel Zavala and big-league reliever Steven Wilson to Chicago. Thorpe, Iriarte and Zavala were the No. 5, No. 7 and No. 8 prospects in San Diego’s system, respectively.
