MLB Rumors: Dylan Cease, White Sox Agree to $8M Contract for 2024 Amid Trade Buzz

As the Chicago White Sox continue to entertain trade offers for Dylan Cease, interested teams now know how much money the 28-year-old will be making in 2024.

Per Robert Murray of FanSided, Cease and the White Sox avoided arbitration by agreeing to an $8 million salary.

The deal is actually pretty friendly toward the White Sox. MLB Trade Rumors projected Cease to earn $8.8 million next season.

While the $800,000 difference isn't going to be a sticking point in trade talks for teams because it's already a bargain salary for a pitcher of Cease's caliber, it can't hurt anything if the White Sox want to make a move.

General manager Chris Getz told reporters on Tuesday that trade talks involving Cease are "ongoing," but it doesn't necessarily mean they are going to do something before the season begins.

"It's ever evolving in terms of the urgency of other clubs," Getz said. "It could be in the offseason. It could at the deadline. It could be in May. There's just so many different factors when you're talking about 29 other clubs."

Getz also made clear he's seeking multiple high-end prospects in any potential deal. The Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets are among the teams that have expressed interest in Cease at points this offseason.

There's no reason for Getz to settle for anything less than what he wants. Cease is under team control through 2025 and is making pennies relative to his actual value this season.

Cease's 4.58 ERA last season was his worst since he was a rookie in 2019, but that says much more about how bad the White Sox defense was in 2023 than anything negative about his performance.

Chicago ranked last in MLB in FanGraphs' defensive value and 29th in defensive runs saved. Cease went from finishing second in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 with a 2.20 ERA to more than doubling that number last season.

Despite the sharp increase in his ERA, Cease posted his third consecutive season with at least 200 strikeouts. He leads all pitchers with 97 starts since 2021.