Is Boston Emerging As A Dylan Cease Destination?

After the surprising Chris Sale trade, Boston is now left with a hole at the top of their rotation. They signed Lucas Giolito, but the rest of the rotation is not very good. They have a decent young team, so they could make some moves to be competitive coming up in 2024.

While there are no concrete rumors that explicitly link the Red Sox in the Dylan Cease talks, there are some comments from Craig Breslow, the Chief Baseball Officer in the Red Sox organization, that make it seem like they would be interested in Dylan Cease.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports that Breslow said that the Red "Sox need to be ready to deal young prospects to trade for quality, controllable starting pitching." On the heels of the Sale trade, the Red Sox are looking to upgrade their rotation. Who on the market is a quality pitcher that is controllable? Dylan Cease.

This would be an ideal situation for the White Sox. While it is rumored that both the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles are involved in the Cease sweepstakes, Boston joining the sweepstakes could create a bidding war between three division teams.

Luckily for the White Sox, the Red Sox have a very nice farm system that features four top-100 prospects. They have Marcelo Mayer, a shortstop who MLB Pipeline ranks as the No. 11 overall prospect, Roman Anthony, an outfielder who they rank 35th overall, Ceddanee Rafaela, an infielder who they rank 72nd overall, and Kyle Teel, a catcher who they rank 82nd overall. Two of these prospects could be used to get a deal done with the White Sox.

According to James Fox, the White Sox were interested in Anthony in the 2022 draft process, so that could be a player that they target in a trade. Pair him with Rafaela, and you have the parameters of a blockbuster trade. With the current asking rate being as high as it is, the Red Sox would likely need to throw in another top prospect of theirs, likely a pitcher in their top 10. This could come in the form of their 9th ranked prospect Wikelman Gonzalez, or their 10th ranked prospect, Richard Fitts, both right handed pitchers.

Roman Anthony would be the cornerstone of this deal, as he would likely fit in as the right fielder of the future. He is just 19 and is a potential 5-tool player, as last year from low A to AA, he hit .272 with a .403 OBP. He added 14 homers, 64 RBIs and 86 walks. This is exactly what the White Sox should target, as he could be ready in a year or two, and take over RF for the next decade.

If Boston wants to get involved, it will put pressure on the other AL East teams to up their offer. If they don't, Boston has the prospect firepower to get the deal done and add the quality, controllable starting pitching they are looking to add.