Chicago White Sox Changing Their Tune on Trade Discussions Involving Top Starter?

After making it seem like a trade of Chicago White Sox star Dylan Cease was imminent, new reports suggest that the ChiSox could change their plan.

On Wednesday night, it was reported that the Chicago White Sox were close to trading former Cy Young finalist Dylan Cease. The prevailing thought was that Cease could be traded before the Winter Meetings, which kick off Sunday in Nashville.

Now? It looks like the White Sox could be changing their tune.

Per Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic.'

New White Sox general manager Chris Getz is telling clubs he likely will wait to move on right-hander Dylan Cease until after the top free-agent starting pitchers sign, according to major-league sources briefed on the discussions.

Getz could act sooner if gets an offer to his liking, perhaps from a team such as the Orioles or Reds, who are expected to refrain from the top of the free-agent market. But the advantage of waiting is obvious: The urgency of certain teams only will increase if they miss out on Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Co. Some clubs face such an acute shortage, they might be in on Cease even if they sign a top free agent.

This makes sense, but it works both ways. At this current juncture, Getz has basically the entire league to deal with. Once teams start picking off the starting pitcher market, there will be less teams involved. Getz is hoping that those few teams remaining will overpay for Cease, who has two years of team control left. We will have to see how the plan works out once its executed.

While a trade of Cease could be painful for Sox fans, it could help re-jumpstart the path to contention. The White Sox just need talent, and Cease is one of the best remaining assets on the roster that could net that.

Chicago finished with the third-worst record in the American League this past season.

The 27-year-old Cease struggled in 2023, just as the White Sox did. He went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA. He's still an elite strikeout artist, fanning 214 batters in 177.0 innings. Lifetime, he's 43-35 with a 4.58 ERA. He finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2022.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.