Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rival Makes Huge Blockbuster Trade Ahead of 2024 Season with the New York Yankees as the demand by the Fans escalates
The Dodgers’ NL West rival Padres have made a massive splash right before heading to Korea. The team is reportedly finalizing a trade for right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Padres somewhat came out of nowhere in the Cease sweepstakes, as their interest wasn’t reported until Tuesday. However, just before the team heads for Korea, they added an ace-level pitcher to a rotation that really needed it. Cease joins Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish to form a fearsome top of the rotation in San Diego. The Dodgers are unlikely to see Cease in Korea, but he’ll factor into the rotation in both 2024 and 2025.
Cease is under two years of team control, and has a price tag of just $8 million this season. He’s coming off ah 2023 campaign in which he struggled, sporting a 4.58 ERA in 33 starts. However, in 2022, he was among the best pitchers in baseball, sporting a 2.20 ERA in 33 starts and finishing second in American League Cy Young voting. He had long been a rumored trade target of the Dodgers, who reportedly tried to acquire him in a package centered around Michael Busch this offseason. However, the White Sox didn’t accept, and are now sending him to the Dodgers’ NL West counterparts.
Cease has long been a rumored trade target of the Dodgers, but he will instead go to the National League West rival Padres a week before the teams meet in Korea for the Seoul Series.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports multiple big name prospects are heading back to the White Sox for Cease.
This trade comes less than 24 hours after reports circulated that the White Sox were extensively scouting the Padres this spring. Just a day before the Padres left for Korea, the sides reached an agreement to send the 28-year-old to San Diego.
Earlier this offseason, it was reported that the Dodgers tried to acquire Cease in a package centered around Michael Busch. However, no trade came to fruition, and the Dodgers ended up sending Busch to the Chicago Cubs.
Cease is 28 years old and has two years of team control. He’s coming off a rough 2023 season in which he had a 4.58 ERA across 33 starts. However, in 2022, he had a 2.20 ERA in 32 starts and finished second in American League Cy Young voting.
Cease will shore up a rotation that had tons of question marks, and give the Padres a fearsome three-headed monster of Cease, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish.
