Dylan Cease News: Mets not pursuing midseason trade for White Sox ace after initial speculation, per insider

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease has been a hot topic since the offseason. Despite avoiding arbitration for $8 million for the 2024 season, Cease continues to be a valuable trade deal for teams seeking an ace.

Tim Britton of The Athletic shared his opinion on a potential trade deal between the New York Mets and Cease while answering queries from New York fans.

Britton believes that even if the Mets try to make some acquisitions, they would be small, considering the high payroll the club has. Therefore, a trade deal involving Dylan Cease is unlikely.

“If they’re in that position, I’d probably expect them to make a few smaller moves (with smaller acquisition costs) than one big move for a pitcher like Cease.

"But there are so many factors that go into that calculation that speculating about it now is just speculating,” said Britton.

Last season, the Mets disappointed many with only 75 wins, finishing fourth in the NL East, despite having a $350 million star-studded lineup.

They last had a postseason appearance in 2015, losing the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, and played in the NLWC twice - 2016 and 2022, but failed to advance.

This year, the Mets have a mission to change things but have not made any visible efforts. It seems like the Mets' new baseball operations head, David Streans, had a plan for a younger and cost-efficient core in mind, despite having the financial back of Steve Cohen.

“If David Stearns went to Steve Cohen and said we can drastically improve our offense for X Amount of money, a couple million. Of course they would do it,” said Andy Martino.

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Dylan Cease is proving why he’s worth pursuing

Dylan Cease has been closely monitored by several teams, including the New York Yankees, who reportedly contacted the White Sox to negotiate a trade.

However, that deal was halted when the terms involved the Yankees’ prize prospect, Spencer Jones.

“The New York Yankees are still open to acquiring Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease, but they refuse to part with prized outfield prospect Spencer Jones," Bob Nightengale reported.

Cease has had a strong start to his 2024 season. In his first Cactus League start against the Texas Rangers, he threw two innings, giving up only two hits and not conceding any runs.

In his second start against the Milwaukee Brewers, he had a 1.80 ERA in 3.0 innings, giving up two hits, including a home run. With a start like that, Cease is attracting lots of attention, and if he continues to perform well, a big trade offer is not unlikely.

The White Sox are on a four-game losing streak ahead of their next game with the Colorado Rockies at the Camelback Ranch on Monday.