The Chicago White Sox’s story over the past year has been an underwhelming one. After being considered a World Series contender going in 2022, Chicago has fallen to a potential seller and franchise headed towards a rebuild in 2023. Players such as Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito, and Lance Lynn are expected to be made available prior to the July trade deadline. However, will star pitcher Dylan Cease also emerge as a trade candidate in 2023?

Cease finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 but has struggled so far in 2023. His ERA currently sits at 4.86 and he’s battled consistency throughout the year. That said, Cease flashed signs of dominance a season ago and still features a high-celling. The idea of trading him may not appeal to the White Sox, but here are three reasons Chicago must trade Dylan Cease in 2023.

 

White Sox rebuild

The harsh reality is the White Sox are not a good baseball team right now. People have been making excuses for them over the past year, stating that they will be fine once they get healthy. However, other teams have dealt with injuries and still found success. Chicago was mediocre in 2022 and even worse in 2023.

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Barring a miraculous turnaround within the next month or so, the White Sox are headed towards a rebuild.

Chicago is expected to make a number of key players available. There was initial hesitancy about trading Dylan Cease given that he’s in the prime of his career and is one of the best pitchers in baseball when he’s going right. If the White Sox are serious about this rebuild though, getting the best possible prospects in return will be of the utmost importance. Even with Cease’s 2023 struggles, he still would garner a significant return.

 

Starting pitching market

The starting pitching market will be an interesting one ahead of the trade deadline. With the addition of the third Wild Card team in both leagues, there are suddenly more contenders than ever before. As a result, less teams will be willing to sell talent away. The American League only features a few teams that will be sellers without question.