Dylan Cease Trade: San Diego Padres acquire 2022 Cy Young finalist from White Sox in mega deal

According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, the San Diego Padres are finalizing a deal to acquire Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. Cease has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason, and it now appears that a move has finally come to fruition.

"BREAKING: The San Diego Padres are finalizing a trade to acquire right-hander Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, sources tell ESPN" - @JeffPassan

Dylan Cease will look to bounce back after a difficult 2023 season with the Chicago White Sox. Last season with the White Sox, Cease posted a 7-9 record with a 4.58 ERA and 214 strikeouts over 177.0 innings. He will play a pivotal role for the San Diego Padres this season following the departure of Blake Snell.

After a Cease trade did not occur during the offseason, it seemed that a potential move would not take place before the beginning of the regular season. However, in recent days, the market for Cease continued to heat up with a number of teams vying for the 2022 American League Cy Young Finalist.

The San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees were all considered finalists in the Cease sweepstakes with the Friars ultimately making the deal. In the wake of the Gerrit Cole injury news, many believed that the New York Yankees would be the frontrunners to land Cease, however, that turned out not to be the case.

"Source: Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte heading to the White Sox in the Dylan Cease trade. @MLBNetwork" - @jonmorosi

According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the Chicago White Sox have acquired top prospects Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala, and Jairo Iriarte, as well as reliever Steven Wilson. The prospects will continue the White Sox rebuild, which began last season with the trades of Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito.

Dylan Cease will help bolster the San Diego Padres pitching rotation

Even though the San Diego Padres lost a number of superstars this offseason, including Juan Soto, Blake Snell, and Josh Hader, the acquisition of Cease will keep the club in contention this upcoming season.

"The Padres projected starting rotation after trading for Dylan Cease" -@MLBONFOX

Following the acquisition of Cease, the San Diego Padres will now feature Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Michael King, and Matt Waldron. It will be interesting to see if the move will help the Padres return to the postseason after missing out altogether last year.