Dylan Cease trade: White Sox ace's deal with Padres creates 'unique dynamic' for Yankees following Gerrit Cole injury, per insider
The Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres completed a major trade that surprised baseball fans all around the country. Dylan Cease, who is one of baseball’s best pitchers, was traded to the San Diego Padres from the White Sox. This deal also had a dynamic effect on the New York Yankees.
Dylan Cease is an ace pitcher and came second in the Cy Young voting in 2022. Even if he didn't do as well in 2023, he is regarded as a top starter. The White Sox traded Cease to the Padres. In turn, they received Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, Samuel Zavala, and Steven Wilson.
The Yankees need a pitcher as Gerrit Cole is out for 1-2 months, due to injury. They were hoping to acquire Dylan Cease as a potential pitcher in place of Gerrit Cole, but the Padres locked him.
According to Jon Morosi, the only possible players that the Yankees would add to their team are Balke Snell and Jordan Montgomery. Both are available in the free agency.
“We still have to acknowledge this possibility is out there that the Yankees would sign one of the two [Snell or Montgomery] simply because it is right now quite vague when exactly Cole is going to come back,” said Morosi during an interview in MLB Hot Stove.
In the 2023 season, Snell had an ERA of 2.25 in 180 innings, while Montgomery had an ERA of 3.20 in 188.2 innings. There is a possibility that one of the two players will end up on the team.
The Yankees have limited time to make a decision. They need a strong starting rotation as Opening Day draws near.
Gerrit Cole to be out for a significant time
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole will be out for, at least, a month with an elbow injury. Despite the fact that an MRI did not show a ligament tear, Cole will visit famous Los Angeles surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
"As the New York Yankees await news on the severity of Gerrit Cole's elbow issue, the reality of the calendar is this, that he will be unavailable for a potentially significant period of time, and they are going to need to identify someone to pitch the games he cannot," said ESPN's Buster Olney
The Yankees have been discussing their pitching depth and have suffered a major setback as a result of this.