Another pitcher has come off the board.
The slow-moving baseball market caught some steam on Wednesday when the Padres traded for White Sox ace Dylan Cease.
Cease will head to San Diego in exchange for former Yankee prospect Drew Thorpe — who the Padres acquired in exchange for Juan Soto — Samuel Zavala, Jairo Iriarte and reliever Steven Wilson.
Cease posted a 4.58 ERA in 2023, however, the right-hander finished second in the AL Cy Young award voting in 2022 where he posted a 2.20 ERA.
The 28-year-old has had somewhat of an up-and-down career, however, the upside displayed in the 2022 season netted the White Sox multiple prospects.
Teams looking for starting pitching late in Spring Training can scratch yet another name off their list, specifically the team in the Bronx. While reports have been conflicting regarding the Yankees’ interest in Cease, the uncertainty regarding Gerrit Cole — who is undergoing more testing on his pitching elbow — may prompt the Bombers to dive deeper into the pitching market that just got a little thinner.
Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are the two top names still available, however, a free-agency addition would prove costly specifically to the Yankees. The club would have to pay a 110% tax on every dollar handed out to any player they sign as a penalty for being over the highest luxury tax threshold.
The trade market would likely be the most sensible area to explore — despite their prospect depth taking a hit due to the price paid for Soto — however, with Corbin Burnes recently being dealt to the Orioles and now Cease off of the board, it’s difficult to see a clear path the Yanks would turn to should the worst come from Cole’s testing.
The likelihood of the Bombers going with what they have in the rotation is increasingly likely as more options fly off the board. Carlos Rodon — who inked a six-year, $162 million contract last offseason — will likely receive extra attention to perform in his second season after a disastrous inaugural year in pinstripes posting a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts.
