The San Diego Padres are finalizing a trade to acquire right-hander Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The White Sox are receiving right-hander Drew Thorpe, who is the No. 4-ranked prospect in the Padres' system and No. 64 among ESPN's top 100 MLB prospects, right-hander Jairo Iriarte (the No. 7 prospect among San Diego's minor leaguers), outfielder Samuel Zavala and right-hander Steven Wilson, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.
Cease, 28, was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award in 2022, but he is coming off a down year. After compiling a 2.20 ERA two seasons ago, it went up to 4.58 last year.
He was the subject of trade rumors all winter, as new White Sox general manager Chris Getz sought a reset for a team that lost 101 games last season.
Cease is under team control for this season and next, making $8 million in 2024. His contract undoubtedly made him attractive to teams such as the Padres, who weren't looking to add a lot of payroll. In fact, San Diego shed money this offseason, sending star Juan Soto to the New York Yankees in December. Now, the Padres add to their major league club by trading for Cease, who had little chance of signing a long-term deal to stay in Chicago.
He fits near the top of the Padres' rotation, right next to Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. Despite his down year in 2023, Cease still has one of the best sliders in the game. Entering spring training, he declared himself as healthy as he has ever been.
The White Sox sought maximum value for Cease throughout the offseason, asking teams for several top prospects in return for his services. In the end, San Diego gets him for two full years while Chicago restocks a farm system ranked 20th by ESPN going into the season.
Cease has a career 3.83 ERA over five seasons -- all with the White Sox -- after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2014. He has pitched 8⅓ innings this spring, giving up six hits and two runs -- both homers -- over three starts. Now, he'll join a Padres team that opens the season in Seoul, Korea, against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 20.