Grading The Dylan Cease Trade
Well, it finally happened. After what felt like an eternity of Dylan Cease trade rumors, the White Sox finally pulled the trigger, sending Cease to the San Diego Padres. At the beginning of the trade rumors, the Padres were nowhere to be found, as they came on strong to the scene later than most teams.
The reason why Cease wasn’t traded earlier was due to GM Chris Getz’s high asking price, leading to believe that a trade before the trade deadline would be for an absolute haul. The White Sox did acquire four players, but on the outset, getting only one top 100 prospect doesn’t seem like the haul that many thought. However, after looking deeper into the trade, you will see that the White Sox got three talented prospects, along with a major league reliever.
Here is who was involved in the trade:
Three top 10 prospects from one of the best farm systems in all of baseball is a strong get for Cease, especially considering he struggled last year. A trade was coming at some point this year, and Getz thought this was a great haul and he pulled the trigger. Let’s dive into what the White Sox received.
First, Steven Wilson, the only player in the deal that has played in the major leagues, is actually an underrated get. He has pitched in two major league seasons, pitching in 50 + games in each season. He has thrown exactly 53 innings in both years. He has pitched to a 3.48 career ERA, which is very solid. According to Baseball Savant, he ranks at the top of the league in mainly every category, except for chase%, BB%, and groundball%. This might not help him out at Guaranteed Rate, but he still is a very solid reliever that could be flipped at the deadline, as he has 4+ more years of team control, making him valuable if he has another solid year.
The main headliner is Drew Thorpe who was one of the main pieces in the Juan Soto return for the Padres. He has the ability to be a staple in the White Sox rotation for years to come, potentially starting early this year. He immediately slots in as the White Sox 3rd best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Drafted in 2022, he has flown through the minors, playing well at every level.
Despite his lower velocity fastball, he has well above average offspeed offerings that allow him to still be a strikeout pitcher. The best part about him, and what seems to be a focus of Getz this offseason, is that he keeps the walks down. Walks lead to runs, and if you keep batters off the bases, then you’re going to be in good shape. This was a fantastic pickup by the White Sox and he looks to be a potential ace for the White Sox in the future.
The next piece is Jairo Iriarte. He just turned 22 this offseason has performed very well in the minors. Last year he threw 90 innings, pitching to a 3.49 ERA and a 1.2 WHIP. He has a very lively fastball to go with some devastating off-speed pitches. The Padres had him mainly starting, but once he got to AA, he got some work in the ‘pen. He will likely stick in the rotation for the White Sox, as he has success to this point.
As the tweet points out, he can lose his arm slot, which leads to walks. If he can work with the White Sox developmental system to get a more repeatable delivery, he will be an elite pitcher. That is easier said than done, but he has had success despite that. This was a very solid pickup, and we could see him in Chicago this year.
The last piece is Samuel Zavala. He has no relation to former White Sox catcher Seby Zavala. This is the piece that some people are the most excited for. He is just 19 years old and will turn 20 at some point in the season. But despite his age, he has the plate command and discipline of a veteran major leaguer.
He is a bit further off in the majors, but he has all the writings of outfielder of the future for the White Sox. He has legit 20/20 potential and could be the steal of the trade. He will be a fun bat to watch in the minors this year, potentially making his way to AA at some point.
Overall, this was a very good haul for the White Sox and it might not set them back that far, as Chris Getz envisions 3/4 players playing in Chicago this year.
This would be a fantastic development, as we can get a better look at the arms we got in return. It takes a year or so for some pitchers to get acclimated to the major leagues, so the earlier they come up the better if they are truly ready.
Overall, I would grade this trade a B+ only because I know most people, including myself thought we were going to get a better headliner than the 80th best prospect in baseball. Despite that, we still got a great haul and Zavala continues to improve we may have gotten something even better than multiple top 100 prospects.