Rumors: Cubs linked to White Sox standout Dylan Cease |
Trades happen every year in baseball. For the most part, some work out in a team's favor as they ultimately accomplish what they want to accomplish with the deal. Then you have those deals that only work out sometimes, but if a team could do the deal over, they would do it in a heartbeat. That is the case regarding the Chicago Cubs and their Jose Quintana deal, as that is the one deal they want back.
In 2017, the Cubs needed a starter at the trade deadline and acquired Jose Quintana from the Chicago White Sox. At the time, the Cubs needed the deal as Quintana went 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA that summer and looked like the missing piece for the Cubs rotation as they returned to the NLCS for the third straight season. However, the final three years of that contract were about as shaky as you can imagine, as Quintana was barely a .500 pitcher and posted an ERA north of 4.00. He also missed nearly the entire 2020 season with a finger injury before venturing off to different franchises over the past three years. While the trade was something the Cubs had to make, it is the package they gave up that they want back as Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease went sent the South Siders way. Jimenz continues to be one of the better power bats in the game, but with his ability to stay healthy, this was a deal the Cubs could live with as their outfield log jam forced Jimenez out of a spot. On the other hand, Cease is the player the Cubs want back, as he was the team's top pitching prospect at the time and emerged as the Ace of the White Sox staff in 2022 before taking a step back this season. Considering how the Cubs had Justin Verlander eating out of their hands and could have had him for virtually the same package as Quintana, you know the Cubs want that trade back, as Verlander would've been the better option. Going a bit further than that, if the Cubs had the chance to trade a different pitcher and keep Cease, they would most likely do that, as he is the type of pitcher this team could use. Well, if recent reports and rumors are accurate, the Cubs may have a shot at retaining Cease differently, as all signs point to a chance for a Cease reunion with the Cubs, adding another wrinkle to the Cubs and Sox rivalry. Intercity rivals rarely make a trade once, let alone twice, with their rival in a short span, but to get a player back who traded to them in the first place is even more rare. That is the situation with Cease, and this could make things very interesting should these reports be accurate. When you look at Cease and his body of work, the word potential comes to mind as he has all the potential in the world to be a No. 1 starter. Armed with a 97-99 MPH heater, the 6-2 and 195-pound Cease has the front-line swing-and-miss stuff the Cubs are looking for and has used that to his advantage since day one, as his heater can overpower hitters. However, that heater isn't his best pitch, as the secondary pitchers are even more critical than his fastball. Not only does Cease offer an 85 MPH slider that can be lights out at times, but he also has an 84 MPH curve with some of the best spin rates in baseball. Throw in the 90 MPH change, and Cease has four pitches to go to, even if he relies on two more than the other. A 200-inning and 200-strikeout type of guy, Cease struggles with consistency, as that has been and is still the most significant issue of his professional career. Some of that consistency comes with a lack of command sometimes, while others are just the hard contact he allows when he falls behind in counts. Going back to his minor league days, you will see Cease's potential as he went 21-15 with a solid 3.02 ERA. He added 167 walks and 450 strikeouts across 354 innings and held opponents to a .213 average. His best season came in 2018 when he went 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA one year after his 1-10 season. Once he got to the majors, Cease continued to show his potential but has also demonstrated a lack of consistency as he has gone 43-35 with a 3.83 ERA. 27 of those wins came in two years as he went 27-15 in 2021-22 while posting a 3.19 over those years. Take those seasons away, and Cease has gone 16-20 with an ERA over 4.00, including his 7-9 season last year and 4.58 ERA. As you will see, the strikeout numbers remain high, with 792 strikeouts in less than 700 innings, but with 294 walks, his command can sometimes be an issue. Either way, if he is available for a trade, the Cubs appear to be in a decent position to land him and adding him to their rotation.
