Suddenly jittery about their pitching staff, the New York Yankees have made a new offer to the Chicago White Sox for ace Dylan Cease, USA Today reported Tuesday.
New Chicago general manager Chris Getz is willing trade Cease -- but only for a price that some teams reportedly have said is exorbitant. Getz is known to want outfield prospect Spencer Jones included in a package from the Yankees, but USA Today reported that the latest offer does not include Jones.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Gerrit Cole, the American League Cy Young Award winner, was set to undergo an MRI of his pitching elbow after the right-hander has needed more recovery time than usual for this time of year.
The Yankees have not announced test results.
While starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain available on the free agent market, Cease is a more affordable option that could help the Yankees stay on budget -- plus he is in spring training with the White Sox.
He signed a one-year, $8 million deal in January to avoid arbitration and is arbitration eligible one more season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Cease made his major league debut with the White Sox in 2019 and has a career record of 43-35, a 3.83 ERA and 792 strikeouts in 658 innings over 123 games (all starts).
This spring, he has started two games and pitched five innings. He's given up one run on a solo homer and struck out six.
Jones, 22, is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees organization. Between high-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset in 2023, Jones hit .267 with 16 home runs, 66 RBIs and 43 RBIs in 117 games.
More must-reads: