Dodgers' NL West Rival Makes Huge Blockbuster Trade Ahead of 2024 Season
The Dodgers' NL West rival Padres have made a massive splash right before heading to Korea. The team is reportedly finalizing a trade for right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The Padres somewhat came out of nowhere in the Cease sweepstakes, as their interest wasn't reported until Tuesday.
However, just before the team heads for Korea, they added an ace-level pitcher to a rotation that really needed it.
Cease joins Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish to form a fearsome top of the rotation in San Diego. The Dodgers are unlikely to see Cease in Korea, but he'll factor into the rotation in both 2024 and 2025 — meaning the Dodgers will see a lot of him.
Cease is under two years of team control, and has a price tag of just $8 million this season. He's coming off a 2023 campaign in which he struggled, sporting a 4.58 ERA in 33 starts.
However, in 2022, he was among the best pitchers in baseball, sporting a 2.20 ERA in 33 starts and finishing second in American League Cy Young voting.
He had long been a rumored trade target of the Dodgers, who reportedly tried to acquire him in a package centered around Michael Busch this offseason.
However, the White Sox didn't accept, and are now sending him to the Dodgers' NL West counterparts.
