Phillies Land Former AL Cy Young Finalist in this trade proposal

There have been plenty of rumors surrounding the Phillies already this offseason.

Are they willing to trade Nick Castellanos or not?

Are they interested in Sonny Gray, Blake Snell, or another starting pitcher?

While we don't have the answers to those questions, the offseason is always filled with fun trade ideas and plenty of rumors.

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While the team may in fact be interested in one of the pitchers listed above, there are other options in free agency, or via trade.

While Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber, and Tyler Glasnow's names have been floated around as potential trade candidates should Aaron Nola walk, another name the team could inquire about is Chicago White Sox right-hander Dyan Cease. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today the White Sox are "will listen to offers" for the 2022 Cy Young finalist.

Cease finished second behind Justin Verlander in 2022 in the voting after making 32 starts with a 2.20 ERA, racking up 227 strikeouts in 184 innings.

Lead MLB writer Zach Rymer listed his top 10 landing spots for Cease with the Phillies landing on the list at No. 7.

Here is the trade proposal the writer suggests: Philadelphia Phillies get RHP Dylan Cease; Chicago White Sox get RHP Mick Abel, OF Justin Crawford

It's far from a foolproof concept, though. Remember, it's position player depth the White Sox need. There's also the question of whether the Phillies should deal any of their prospects at a time when most of their core stars are over 30.

I have high hopes for Mick Abel, and wouldn't want to see him get traded, but landing a 27-year-old former Cy Young candidate would be enticing. One big problem I have with Cease is the amount of walks.

Cease has twice led the AL in walks and had a 1.41 WHIP in 2023.

Compare those numbers to Nola, who had 45 walks this season, which was high for him, and a WHIP of just 1.15. Nola is an innings eater who logged 193.2 innings this season, while Cease pitched 177.

While the deal is enticing, I think I would pass on this one.