(670 The Score) The White Sox have set a high asking price for right-hander Dylan Cease on the trade market.
In trade discussions with the Reds centered on Cease, the White Sox asked for four highly regarded prospects, sources told 670 The Score reporter Bruce Levine. The headlining prospect whom Chicago requested was 21-year-old right-hander Rhett Lowder, the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the MLB Draft this past July. Lowder is the Reds’ second-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He was dominant at Wake Forest this past season, posting a 1.87 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while striking out 143 batters in 120 1/3 innings.
The White Sox also asked for 20-year-old right-hander Chase Petty and two position player prospects who were among the Reds' top 11 prospects, sources told Levine. Petty was a first-round pick of the Twins in 2021 and had a 1.72 ERA in 18 starts across two levels of the minor leagues in 2023. He reached the Double-A level.
The White Sox have made the 27-year-old Cease available as they look to overhaul their roster following a 101-loss season. It feels inevitable that they’ll trade him this offseason, as they aren’t in line to compete in 2024 and can get more on the trade market if they move him with two years of contract control remaining. Cease is projected to make around $9 million in 2024, a team-friendly number for a pitcher of his talent.
Cease is coming off a disappointing season but is still viewed across MLB as a dominant pitcher. He posted a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 177 innings across 33 starts in 2023. Cease was the American League Cy Young runner-up in 2022, when he had a 2.20 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 184 innings across 32 starts.
He has also been as durable as any starter in MLB in recent years, making a combined 97 starts across the past three seasons.