The Chicago White Sox have set a very high asking price with teams interested in trading for starting pitcher Dylan Cease. It's scared most clubs off, but the Seattle Mariners have recently emerged as another potential option.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported the Mariners have "quietly entered" trade talks with hopes of prying Cease from the Windy City. He also said the White Sox are focused on young starting pitchers Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. This checks out with earlier reports of what Chicago was looking for in a potential trade. The New York Post's Jon Heyman recently categorized their demands as asking for "the sun and the moon."
The White Sox have good reason to not be in a rush to trade the right-handed hurler. He'll only be making $8 million in 2024 and has two seasons of team control left, per Spotrac. So, Chicago would hypothetically have plenty of leverage leading up to the MLB trade deadline this summer. Manager Pedro Grifol has also named Cease his Opening Day starter, which is likely just another negotiation tactic in trade talks.
Sox Pedro Grifol said that Dylan Cease is his opening day starter. He also said Cease is handling the trade talks well.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) January 25, 2024
The Mariners have traded away two hurlers from their 2023 rotation, sending Robbie Ray to the San Francisco Giants and Marco Gonzales to the Atlanta Braves in separate deals. Cease isn't the only available starting pitcher Seattle has been reportedly trying to acquire, though.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden shared an interesting report on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the club's potential intentions for its starting staff and how it could relate to free-agent hurler Blake Snell.
The #Mariners continue to listen to trade proposals for pitchers in their starting rotation since the return in this market would be inflated...then consider signing Blake Snell to upgrade the top of the rotation. #Rangers are still engaged in trying to have a reunion with Jordan?
— Jim Bowden??? (@JimBowdenGM) January 24, 2024
The Mariners appear to be keeping their options open when it comes to compiling a competitive rotation for the 2024 season. Playing in the American League West division certainly is no joke. While the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics are different kinds of messes, the Houston Astros are perennial contenders and the Texas Rangers just won the World Series.
If their two options are either landing Cease or making room for Snell, both scenarios would help lift the performance floor of the rotation. We'll find out soon enough if one of these hypothetical situations comes true, or if it's just wishful thinking for Seattle.
