The San Diego Padres bolstered their rotation on Wednesday by agreeing to a trade for right-hand pitcher Dylan Cease with the Chicago White Sox.
The Padres announced they are sending prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, right-hander Steven Wilson, and outfielder Samuel Zavala to Chicago in exchange for Cease.
Cease is coming off a down season in 2023, posting a 7-9 record in 33 starts with a 4.58 ERA and 214 strikeouts. However, he is only one year removed from the career-best campaign that saw him second in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2022.
The White Sox are trending towards rebuilding, which is why trading Cease doesn’t come as a surprise. In exchange, they receive several intriguing players, with Thorpe, who is ranked No. 85 on MLB’s Top 100 Prospects ranking, being the highlight of the deal.
The Padres, on the other hand, couldn’t pass on the opportunity to add another reliable arm alongside Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. Additionally, Cease will be under team control for two more years and will earn a modest $8 million in 2024.
Dylan Cease made his debut with the White Sox during the 2019 MLB season. He made 123 starts in the majors and has a 43-35 record with a 3.83 ERA and 792 strikeouts.
