The Chicago Cubs have been active in the trade market this winter. While trading Cody Bellinger, they also added Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. Could Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, try to make one more deal for San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease? Cease spent the first five years of his major league career with the Chicago White Sox before moving to San Diego for the 2024 season. He rebounded from a disappointing 2023 with a 14-11 record, a 3.47 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 224 strikeouts in 189 1/3 innings. What would it look like if the Cubs tried to trade for the right-hander?
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer presented the following hypothetical swap:
Cubs get right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease
Padres acquire catcher Moises Ballesteros and outfielder Kevin Alcántara
“Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon are a strong front three, and then there’s newcomer Matthew Boyd and Javier Assad,” said Rymer. “And yet, Cubs ownership is hearing from supporters that the team hasn’t done enough to cement its position as a contender. They are not inaccurate, and it is worth noting that this team’s starters lacked swing-and-miss ability in 2024.Matt Shaw is ‘off limits,’ according to (Jon) Heyman, but the Cubs have more to offer than him. In this instance, they’d serve up two prospects with no apparent road to playing time on the North Side.
MLB.com lists Ballesteros (fourth) and Alcántara (sixth) among the Cubs’ top ten prospects. Cease is expected to earn $13.75 million in 2024 before becoming a free agent next winter. Spotrac estimates his current market value at $109 million over five years.
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