It isn’t a surprise that the Chicago White Sox are listening to offers for starting pitcher Dylan Cease, but another team is reportedly jumping into the mix to try to acquire him.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Atlanta Braves are now looking to bolster their pitching staff by adding Cease to their rotation.
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It had previously been reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers were interested in Cease as well, as were several other teams, according to reports.
After finishing as the American League Cy Young Award runner-up in the 2022 season, Cease took a bit of a step back in 2023, posting a 7-9 record and a 4.58 ERA in a career-high 33 starts for the White Sox. His Strikeouts-per-nine-innings decreased slightly, but his WHIP increased from 1.11 to 1.42 as he gave up 46 more hits in seven fewer innings of work for the Sox.
Still, at 27 years old and with several years of team control remaining, Cease is an attractive commodity on the market, and teams will likely be willing to part with serious prospect capital to acquire his services.
In a recent episode of the White Sox Talk podcast, Nightengale said that industry sources have told him there is a "90% chance" that Cease is traded this offseason as the Sox look to restock their farm system.
MLB
Earlier reports had indicated that Cease was available for trade offers, and that the only player the White Sox weren't listening on was outfielder Luis Robert Jr.