The White Sox avoided arbitration with righty Dylan Cease by agreeing to an $8MM deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.
Cease, a client of the Boras Corporation, fell short of our projection in agreeing to a $2.3MM raise over last year’s salary. As a player with four years of Major League service time, Cease will be eligible for arbitration once more for 2025 before reaching free agency.
Cease, who recently turned 28, had an off-year results-wise in 2023 with his ERA climbing to 4.58. Still, his 97 starts over the last three seasons leads all of MLB, and he finished second in the 2022 AL Cy Young voting coming off a 2.20 ERA. Cease averages about 96 miles per hour on his fastball and misses plenty of bats, though he also issues a lot of free passes.
Cease remains one of the top remaining trade candidates of the 2023-24 offseason. New White Sox GM Chris Getz has been fielding inquiries, and there’s likely at least a half-dozen suitors. You can read up on the latest Cease rumors here.
At present, though, Cease leads a projected White Sox rotation that also includes new additions Erick Fedde, Mike Soroka, and Chris Flexen, as well as holdover Michael Kopech.
1 more step in their iminent World Series run. Next step is a reunion with Big Chris (Sale).
Better chance at 82-year old Wilbur Wood.
With all they are asking for a trade- that’s what he’s worth to the Sox? 8 million? No extension?
Cease switched to Boras before last season for a reason….and it wasn’t to aim for a team friendly extension.
But he agrees to a team friendly arbitration amount for’24.
Not really when arbitration is all or nothing. You lose the hearing, you get the lower figure amount submitted by club vs what player submitted. He and Boras must have thought the judge would rule the player’s amount was a bit too high.
What? If they thought that, why wouldn’t they just lower their own number before they submit it?
Now he is worth more to a new team since he is paid so little.
That mustache has to grow more
Are you looking for a new MLB trend? Maybe have every player grow an Avery Schreiber-style stache?
Best of luck with your new team, hope you win a Cy Young and a World Series!!
Absurd salary for ordinary performance
8 million per year, in 2023, would’ve tied him with Rich Hill as the 73rd highest paid SP (per Spotrac). Fangraphs had him as the 18th best starting pitcher by fWAR in 2023. When Jack Flaherty is getting $14mil/year, $8mil for Dylan Cease is a steal.
That just proves that salaries are way more than they should be.
Maybe true for your perspective but teams who don’t offer a competitive salary for players of TODAY end up with cheap, maybe serviceable players who don’t add up to a fully competitive team. If you any to end up in the lower half of the league on pitching or batting stats, that’s the way to do it.
Then you have to depend on drafting well and having team play above their heads.
Hum, looking at the projected rotation, it seems like the Pale Hose should be looking for SP(s) in any trade for Dylan Cease.
…fortunately, the Orioles can still help! Dean Kremer, Coby Mayo, Kyle Stowers, and another lower level prospect should get it done. Orioles shouldn’t more than that. Mayo has super stud written all over him.
Same offer to FLA for Luzzardo, or DET for Skubal.
Cease just isn’t worth Mayo right now and trading Kremer in a deal for starting pitching would leave the Orioles still in need of another SP, so that doesn’t really make much sense. Plus I doubt Chicago would have much interest in Kremer, a #4ish SP who will already be arb-eligible after 2024.
Orioles still have enough SP, though.
Cease, Means, Bradish, Rodriguez, and one of Tyler Wells, DL Hall, Chance McDermott, and (forgetting name of SP aquired from TB 2 years ago, had TJ surgery ladt year, and is on the 40 man. Seth??…) Zimmerman still on the 40. Kegan Akin too. Just saying, internally there are options and some of them need to make it or leave 40 man roster for the arms coming up.
Besides, after a trade like that, adding a depth SP could still be made.
As far as Mayo goes, I’m a big fan, and think he has ‘super stud’ written all over him. However, RH power bats playing 82 games in Camden will devalue him quickly. Besides, you gotta give something good to get something good.
Cease isn’t enough of an upgrade over Kremer to also give up a prospect of Mayo’s caliber. That would be a net loss for the Orioles before even factoring in any pieces beyond Mayo and Kremer.
Like I said though, they wouldn’t have much interest in Kremer anyway.
Not enough of an upgrade? Enjoy your first round exit
No, Dylan Cease is not enough of an upgrade over Dean Kremer to be worth Mayo and Kremer+.
Overvalue and hoard your prospects, watch your window close before you know it in an always competitive AL east, when the club eventually can’t afford to sign off on the longterm big bucks contract due to Adley and co. And yes, recognize this as someone who used to live in Baltimore and witnessed the weak local support for the Os, relative to the 3 behemoths (and one minnow) in the division.
Trading away elite prospects for modest short-term improvements seems like a much faster route back to the basement of the AL East TBH.
With Luke Weaver off the board, Dylan’s trade value just went up
With boras representation, Caese trade value goes down. Two years control, no more than that, extension unlikely.
hope they hold on to him.
He’s only worth $8MM.
Oh, except give us 3 top 50 MLB level prospects if you want him because he’s an ace!
All the “Cease is not worth it” talk I hope is coming from Sox fans who actually watch him. I’ve seen every start of his for the last three years and I believe he has great stuff.
The year before as a runner up to Verlander for Cy, to this let year is not enough data.
I watched a guy who was pitching for a team that was falling apart in ‘23. There are other parts to this game that are intangible- mental, his life out of the game, the team culture that all contribute.
I think a new start for him with a healthy, successful team would return him to 2022 form. Just my opinion.
Cease is worth top prospects. Problem is is the another mlb will want take on cease to walk into the playoffs or at least be competitive without having to give up too much. Some low level a players that never pan out? They’re no a AAA farm team like the marlins for the yankees. pass.
Very affordable and a steal considering his upside.
When was the last time Baltimore had someone finish second in Cy Young Steve Stone?
If the Sox keep Cease until the trade deadline, they will get even more than they are asking for today.
I don’t understand why a player who has a down year gets a raise.
Can anyone enlighten me?
In my opinion, his salary should, at best, remain the same.
Its all a mute point, though it would serve the Sox right for asking for dear, then not trading him before the Season starts, only for him to shred his elbow; requiring another TJS and basically getting the Sox nothing in return for him.