The White Sox traded Dylan Cease to the Padres on Wednesday evening, the team announced. The trade was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan.
In return, the White Sox received pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, who are the No. 5 and No. 8 prospects in the Padres' system, according to multiple reports. MLB Network's Jon Morosi was the first to report the return.
In addition, the White Sox are getting 29-year-old reliever Steven Wilson and 19-year-old outfielder Samuel Zavala, the latter of which is the No. 7 prospect in the Padres' system.
Thorpe, 23, is the No. 85 prospect on MLB.com's top 100 list. He made 18 starts in High-A and five starts in Double-A. Between both levels, he pitched 139.1 innings, recording a combined 2.52 ERA. At Double-A, he pitched a perfect 4-0 pitching record, earning a 1.48 ERA. The Padres received Thorpe as part of the Juan Soto trade to the Yankees.
Iriarte, 22, like Thorpe, played for both High-A and Double-A last season. He pitched 14 starts in High-A, recording a 3.10 ERA in 61 innings pitched. In 13 appearances in Double-A, he made seven starts. There, he finished with a 4.30 ERA from 29.1 innings.
Wilson has pitched two seasons in the majors with the Padres. Last season, he finished with a 3.91 ERA from 53 innings in relief. He struck out 57 batters and walked 27.
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And finally, Zavala, 19, is the Padres' No. 7 prospect in their system. He went between the Padres' Low-A and High-A affiliates in 2023. Between both, he hit .243 from the plate with a .797 OPS. He hit 14 home runs and 77 RBIs last season.
The trade rumors involving Cease have swelled since the offseason began. It's well-documented that newly promoted general manager Chris Getz has held a high price for Cease, too, asking for multiple prospects in return for the White Sox's ace.
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Recently, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the White Sox were getting "more serious" about Cease in trade talks. The South Side had recently engaged in talks with the Texas Rangers, as they await three starters to return to their rotation from injuries. Rosenthal also mentioned the Yankees and Padres as potential trade destinations for Cease.
The rumors have gone on for months. Yet Cease, who's been pitching for the Sox in spring training, isn't focused on the noise at this moment.
“At this point, it’s happened so many times over the past couple of months that it really kinda feels like noise. But I definitely see what’s being said. People send me stuff and all that. But I don’t know, I feel like if I was overly focused on that it would be hard to perform, so I just prioritize performance over everything else really.”
In spring training, Cease has been dominant. Just over eight innings pitched, Cease's ERA stands at 2.16. Against the Reds, in a dominant 14-1 win, Cease pitched 3.1 innings, allowing just one run.
Previously, multiple reports showed the White Sox likely planned to wait until the MLB trade deadline to restart talks with Cease. But he admitted his performance this spring likely contributed to trade talks heating up again.
“Yeah, I think the way I’ve pitched this spring has probably increased (the chances of a trade) a little bit,” Cease said. “I’ve been really locked in. It really just depends. I think if we’re in a spot– assuming I’m still with the team– where at the deadline we’re either in first or hunting for first, I could see me not getting traded. There’s obviously the business side where in a lot of scenarios (a trade) would make sense.
“But crazier things have happened. Nothing’s written in stone.”
Until now. The White Sox's ace is a Padre. The new Padres rotation is now highlighted by Cease, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Michael King. Jhony Brito and Matt Waldron figure to compete for the final spot in their rotation.
