With ace Gerrit Cole undergoing tests on his elbow, the New York Yankees made a new offer to the Chicago White Sox for ace Dylan Cease, per a USA Today report on Tuesday.
Cole, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, underwent an MRI on Monday and will have more testing done Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone said.
Boone doesn’t expect Cole to be available for his fifth straight Opening Day start for the Yankees, who may pivot to in-house options Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman.
Boone also told reporters Tuesday that it would probably take “a couple of days” before a prognosis is released on Cole, who went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts last season, his fourth with New York. A six-time All-Star, Cole has made one start this spring, going two innings and allowing three runs.
Cole, 33, is 145-75 with a 3.17 ERA and 2,152 strikeouts over 1,859 innings in 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2013-17), Houston Astros (2018-19) and Yankees.
As for Cease, new Chicago general manager Chris Getz is willing trade the right-hander — but only for a price that some teams reportedly have said is exorbitant. Getz is known to want outfield prospect Spencer Jones included in a package from the Yankees, but USA Today reported that the latest offer does not include Jones.
While starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain available on the free-agent market, Cease is a more affordable option that could help the Yankees stay on budget — plus he is in spring training with the White Sox.
He signed a one-year, $8 million deal in January to avoid arbitration and is arbitration eligible one more season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Cease made his major league debut with the White Sox in 2019 and has a career record of 43-35, a 3.83 ERA and 792 strikeouts in 658 innings over 123 games (all starts).
This spring, he has started two games and pitched five innings. He’s given up one run on a solo homer and struck out six.
Jones, 22, is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees organization. Between high-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset in 2023, Jones hit .267 with 16 home runs, 66 RBIs and 43 RBIs in 117 games.
–Field Level Media
