Padres to Acquire Dylan Cease for Reliever, Three Prospects

The San Diego Padres are finalizing a trade to acquire pitcher Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. The White Sox will receive reliever Steven Wilson and three of the Padres’ top 10 prospects, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Cease, 28, was in trade rumors all winter after pitching to a 4.58 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 3.72 FIP in 2023. It was a down year for Cease even though he had 214 strikeouts in 177 innings. He has fanned more than 200 in three consecutive years and went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 3.10 FIP in 2022 with a 180 ERA+.

Cease debuted for Chicago in 2019 and has a 3.83 career ERA in 123 starts. The Padres will hope he can fill the void left by 2023 Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who remains a free agent.

Wilson, 29, struck out 59 in 57 innings for San Diego in 2023 with a 3.91 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 4.52 FIP. The prospects are pitchers Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte and outfielder Samuel Zavala, per Nightengale.