The entirety of the Chicago White Sox Nation took notice this past Wednesday evening, as what was expected to happen all along finally happened. White Sox ace Dylan Cease was traded away to the San Diego Padres for a handful of prospects in a trade that might leave some scratching their heads.
Dylan Cease Trade Aftermath
All along during the off-season, we had heard that the White Sox were asking for quite a bit in return for Cease. But the return they got may not be what some fans think is a decent haul for a guy who came in second in the Cy Young Award voting just a couple of years ago. Perhaps the White Sox should have gotten more out of the trade, maybe a starting pitcher or two, or perhaps an infielder?
The White Sox acquired some talent that still needs to be developed. Included in the trade for Cease were right-handed pitchers Jairo Iriarte, Drew Thorpe, and Steven Wilson. They also acquired outfielder Samuel Zavala. These players are mostly prospects, except for Wilson who has shown up on the mound 102 times for the Padres in the last two years. He might find himself in a useful role on the pitching staff depending on what the Sox think of who they have right now.
The Players Received from San Diego
Zavala is a minor-league outfielder who is very young, just 19, and still has a lot of development work to do. The White Sox will likely bring him into their farm system and let him develop into a stronger prospect who could, eventually, take over at an outfield position someday. His batting prowess leaves a little something to be desired right now, but his skills will grow in the minors.
Iriarte is a guy that still leaves us wondering a little bit. He appears to have the tools necessary to pitch in the majors. He just needs a little more work. Iriarte struggled at times in the minors with both command and walks. The Sox will have to keep him in the minors to tweak a few things before they can rely on him as a starter, and he may be there for a while.
Thorpe joins the White Sox system as a former second-round pick with a lot of promise. He may be close to joining the pitching staff sooner rather than later. That, of course, depends on injuries and what the White Sox want to see out of their minor-league players. Thorpe could be the best of the bunch when it’s all said and done.
With the departure of Cease, the pitching for the White Sox is going to be very untrustworthy this year. And if the pitching isn’t that great, the team as a whole isn’t going to be that great. By executing this trade, the White Sox made themselves weaker. They also proved to us that this is a team in a state of rebuilding, not in winning mode. And that’s disappointing.
In the End…
It will be interesting to see how these prospects turn out and where they end up going in their careers. Will we see them on the field for the Sox in the future? Perhaps they will be trade bait for future trades? It’s hard to tell. One interesting note about this “new blood” is that three of them help make the White Sox farm system a bit better. There must be something right about these guys if they can do that, as the Sox really did need to improve their farm system.
The White Sox likely aren’t going far this year. The loss of Cease may even help send them to the bottom of the AL Central. But the future is at least a little bright with the prospects they do have coming up. Give this team a few years to rebuild and retool, and they will be much better, possibly even World Series-ready.
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