With the news about Gerrit Cole likely missing Opening Day as the Yankees continue to test for damage to his pitching elbow, Bob Nightengale drops a game-changing report about Dylan Cease. It’s clear that if the Yankees were to lose Gerrit Cole for an extended period of time, they’d be a significantly worse team, and they’ve re-engaged with the White Sox on a potential trade for their ace. This offer did not include top outfield prospect Spencer Jones, who is considered unmovable in any deals right now, and there are no reports about further momentum.
The Yankees are interested in adding another starter, that’s been the case for months, and if they can iron out a deal for Dylan Cease, they’ll certainly get a top-of-the-rotation presence to ease nerves.
Yankees Re-engaged on Dylan Cease Trade Talks
Last season wasn’t Dylan Cease’s best, posting a 4.58 ERA and seeing his fastball velocity go down by a tick as well, but his calling card has always been durability and elite-level stuff. The Yankees likely believe that Cease, who struggled to adjust to the pitch clock, is better equipped for the rule changes now and can dominate the way he did in 2022. When he’s at his best, this is one of the best pitchers in the American League, and nobody has made more starts than the young right-hander over the last three seasons (97).
The concerns with Gerrit Cole are still unknown, as Andy Martino of SNY mentioned that there’s cautious optimism surrounding the initial results, but the imagining will ultimately tell us what we’re desperate to know. Regarding Dylan Cease, this would be an expensive move to make on the trade market, but potentially a necessary one. The goal is to try and land an impact starter at the top of your rotation without trading away Spencer Jones, and while that could prove impossible, they’re making a valiant effort.
READ MORE: The Yankees Might Have Dodged a Bullet With Gerrit Cole Injury: ‘Precautionary’
Jones, who is considered to be one of the best outfield prospects in all of baseball, possesses massive upside due to his monstrous frame and elite-level speed. The Chicago White Sox should be asking for him in a trade, and it’s not unreasonable for them to make him a must-have in a trade for a valuable pitcher. That being said, it’s unlikely that the two sides would complete a deal if the Yankees were forced to give up Jones, but other players in the organization could be of interest.
Roderick Arias is one of the most exciting international prospects in the game, but a question of whether they’d be selling on his potential too soon is fair to raise as well. What Dylan Cease could deliver might make that price justifiable if the Yankees are able to get a difference-making season out of him. He’s looked good in his two Spring Training starts, with reports of his velocity being closer to where it was in 2022, and that’s a sign that the Yankees could be getting the ace-caliber pitcher we saw when he was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award.
The situation is fluid and nothing is close, but the Yankees might be able to pull off a late-season splash and add a frontline starter to their rotation.