The Chicago Cubs have been active on the trade market this winter. While they traded away Cody Bellinger, they've also acquired Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. Could president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer try to swing one more deal for San Diego Padres hurler Dylan Cease?
Cease spent the first five years of his big-league career with the Chicago White Sox before landing in San Diego for the 2024 campaign. He bounced back after a down 2023 by posting a 14-11 record with a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 224 strikeouts in 189 1/3 innings.
If the Cubs were to try to land the right-hander in a trade, what could it look like? Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer proposed the following hypothetical swap:
- Cubs receive: right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease
- Padres receive: catcher Moises Ballesteros and outfielder Kevin Alcántara
"Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon are a strong front three, and then there's newcomer Matthew Boyd and Javier Assad," Rymer wrote. "And yet, Cubs ownership is hearing it from fans that the team hasn't done enough to solidify its status as contenders. They're not wrong, and it's notable that this team lacked swing-and-miss from its starters in 2024.
"Matt Shaw is 'off limits,' according to (Jon) Heyman, but the Cubs have more to offer beyond him. In this case, they'd serve up two prospects who don't have clear paths to playing time on the North Side."
MLB.com ranks Ballesteros (fourth) and Alcántara (sixth) within the Cubs' top 10 prospects. Cease is set to earn $13.75 million in 2024 before reaching free agency next winter. Spotrac projects his current market value at five years and $109 million.
