Yankees Rumors: White Sox seeking prized prospect Spencer Jones & more in return for Dylan Cease, per MLB insider

If the New York Yankees are going to land Dylan Cease in a massive trade, it's going to cost them. The young pitcher is very talented and is under team control for two years, thus making him one of the hottest and most expensive commodities. According to a report, the top prospect in New York's farm system and more would be required.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Yankees would have to part with Spencer Jones, their best prospect and the number 73 prospect in all of baseball, as the central piece in a Cease trade:

"The Chicago White Sox’s asking price for ace Dylan Cease remains awfully strong: They are seeking prized Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones or right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton in their package."

Nightengale also noted that the Baltimore Orioles were asked to ship outfielder Colton Cowser or Heston Kjerstad for Cease, and they are one of the teams who can actually afford this sort of deal.

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Can the New York Yankees afford Dylan Cease?

The Yankees depleted their farm system in an effort to bring Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto to the Bronx. It improved their roster, but it also made them ill-equipped to afford another big blockbuster trade.

Can the Yankees afford Dylan Cease?

However, Jones is the 73rd ranked prospect in all of baseball, so it's not as if the White Sox are asking for a king's ransom. Plus, the next two best Yankees prospects (Jasson Dominguez and Everson Pereira) are ranked in the two spots immediately following, so the team has three prospects around the same quality and Chicago wants one of them.

Nightengale also reported that the Chicago White Sox GM believes a trade is very possible:

“All it takes is one team to want to jump out, perhaps, and get a deal done. In the case of Dylan, I don’t think there’s a club out there that hasn’t expressed some level of interest in him.”

This could ultimately lower the price. If the White Sox want to make a deal, and it seems that they do, then the Yankees could go for it at a lower price and the White Sox might bite so they can kickstart a major overhaul. The Yankees likely won't be able to afford, but it's not impossible.