The San Diego Padres on Wednesday night acquired highly regarded right-handed starting pitcher Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox in a trade for multiple prospects, according to reports.
Cease was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award in 2022 when he went 14–8 with a 2.20 earned run average and 227 strikeouts in 184 innings. According to reports, the White Sox will receive right-handed reliever Steven Wilson, minor league right-handers Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, and minor league outfielder Samuel Zavala in the deal.
Thorpe was acquired by San Diego in the offseason deal that sent slugger Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. According to MLB Pipeline, Thorpe was San Diego’s No. 5 prospect, Zavala was No. 7, and Iriarte was No. 8.
Cease will earn $8 million this season, making the salary a fit for the Padres, who watched 2023 National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell and fellow starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha depart as free agents after last season.
Cease went 7–9 with a 4.58 ERA last season, but still struck out 214 in 177 innings. It marked his third straight season of at least 200 strikeouts. Overall, Cease is 43–35 with a 3.83 ERA in 123 starts over five seasons with the White Sox.
Wilson, 29, went 1–2 with a 3.91 ERA in 52 appearances last season. He has pitched in 102 games in two big league seasons. Thorpe, 23, had a 14–2 record and 2.52 ERA in 23 starts between Class A and Double-A in the Yankees’ system.
Zavala, 19, batted .243 with 14 homers and 77 RBIs in 115 games at two Class A stops last season. Iriarte, 22, went 3–4 with a 3.49 ERA in 27 appearances (21 starts) between Class A and Double-A.
