5:41 AM EDT, Tue March 19, 2024
Pinstripe Alley

Were Yankees smart to pass on Cease?

Photo by Michael Reaves/ The White Sox ace is headed to San Diego, not the Bronx. That may not be such a bad thing. It’s said that misery makes for strange bedfellows. The San Diego Padres and the Yankees both have had difficult offseasons in their own way that have unexpectedly intertwined the two clubs. First, San Diego was “forced” to trade Juan Soto to the Yankees for payroll reasons. Now that the Yankees are in even greater need of starting pitching after news broke that Gerrit Cole will miss the first couple months of the season with a dodgy pitching elbow,...

South Side Sox

BREAKING: Dylan Cease finally on the move, traded to Padres

A new era: The White Sox completed a blockbuster trade involving ace Dylan Cease. | Michael Reaves/ The South Siders received three of San Diego’s Top 10 prospects in the deal The Dylan Cease trade, which has been anticipated for months, has finally happened. The Padres are the winners of the Cease Sweepstakes, as the ace of the White Sox will be heading to San Diego. Cease, 28, had an excellent career with the White Sox. In 658 innings across five seasons, Cease posted a 3.83 ERA, a 3.86 FIP, and a 4.02 xFIP, resulting in a total of 13.0 fWAR. The righthander...

Lone Star Ball

Rangers, ChiSox talking Cease trade, per reports

Photo by Michael Reaves/ Trade talks involving Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease are reportedly cranking up MLB Trade Rumors: Dylan Cease, starting pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, has been the subject of trade talk in recent days, per reports, with the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees being among the suitors mentioned. Bob Nightengale says that the Yankees, in the wake of Gerrit Cole getting an MRI on his elbow, “made a new proposal” for Cease, having previously engaged in talks with Chicago for the righthander during the offseason. Ken Rosenthal,...

South Side Sox

Gamethread: White Sox at Reds

Dylan Cease wants to sell you some little bag of something in the high school parking lot. | Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Hallucinate with me as ol’ beardy boy tosses some heat Happy Tuesday, White Sox fans, and happy Dylan Cease Day. It’s going to take a lot more than Dylan Cease to make me happy today, though, especially with trade rumors flying around like crazy. Could this be Cease’s last start for the White Sox? I shudder to think, but we have no choice but to do so, as this game will not be televised. Good thing you guys have each other in this...

The Crawfish Boxes

Astros Crawfish Boil: March 13, 2024

Jose Altuve | Photo by Megan Briggs/ Welcome to the Humpday Boil. Houston Astros News Healthy and signed, Altuve ready for big ‘24 Hunter Brown, Joe Espada on start vs. Marlins Astros’ Hunter Brown: Starting pitcher working for better 2024 ending (Houston Chronicle) Houston Astros: Luis Contreras revives dream, vies for pen spot (Houston Chronicle) AL West News A’s — Distressed Oakland A’s fans share “Last Dive Bar” Coliseum memories ahead of possible final Opening Day (CBS) Blarts — Rosenthal: What I’m hearing about trade talks for White Sox pitcher...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees reopen Cease trade talks with the White Sox

Photo by Michael Reaves/ Gerrit Cole’s elbow reportedly played a role in the Yankees sending a renewed offer to Chicago for the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up. Earlier in the offseason, the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox discussed a trade involving Dylan Cease. Conversations didn’t reach much momentum because the South Siders reportedly demanded the inclusion of blue-chip prospect Spencer Jones in the deal and the Yanks were reluctant. In the wake of Gerrit Cole’s tenuous right elbow situation and the Yankees’ reported unwillingness to pursue Blake Snell or...

Royals Review

Royals trade partner history: The Marlins

Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos via The Royals don’t deal with Fish too much. This is a series that looks back at their trade history with each team in baseball. So far, we have looked back at trades with the Braves, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Orioles, White Sox, and Angels. Today we look at the history of deals with the Miami Marlins. Total number of Royals/Marlins trades: 13 The two teams haven’t engaged on very many big trades together, and hardly any have worked out well for the Royals. Kansas City did unload former All-Star reliever Aaron Crow on the Marlins, but the...

Twinkie Town

Rival Roundup, Vol. 52: Creepin’ Closer

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports There’s still plenty of free-agency activity to come, but the first week of spring is settling in. The Detroit Tigers will deploy Tarik Skubal to start their season, as we enter the era of official Opening Day starter statements from teams who don’t employ Pablo Lopez. Tarik Skubal is the Opening Day starter, A.J. Hinch announces. #Tigers— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) March 1, 2024 Among the deluge of other off-season organizational changes, the Chicago White Sox are employing a dietician for the first time, at the direction of...

South Side Sox

Will Dylan Cease still be a White Sox by Opening Day?

South Side for life? | Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Teams continue to show interest in the South Side ace, but Chris Getz doesn’t seem ready to deal him away Dylan Cease has been one of the hottest free agent discussions of the offseason, and rightfully so. He’s sitting at a career 3.83 ERA, has a second-place Cy Young finish, and usually finishes in the top 5-10 in terms of strikeouts. That slider sure is nasty. White Sox GM, Chris Getz, however, has not found a trade that is enough to justify giving up one of the top pitchers in the league. Recently, trade...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Cubs vs. Brewers at Phoenix preview, Wednesday 2/28, 2:05 CT

Photo by Norm Hall/ Another road contest for the North Siders. Here’s a bit more on Matthew Thompson, who the Cubs acquired yesterday in a trade with the White Sox: In the 23-year-old Thompson, the Cubs got a righty who was selected in the second round of the 2019 Draft by the Sox. Last season with Double-A Birmingham, Thompson had a 4.85 ERA with 136 strikeouts and 85 walks in 124 1/3 innings. “He’s got a good arm,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He’s a guy that we liked as an amateur. And I think any time you can grab a starting...

Lookout Landing

Mariners Moose Tracks, 2/28/24: Mitch Haniger, Enrique Hernández, and The Boras Three

Photo by Steph Chambers/ Mitch Haniger is happy to be home. Good morning friends! Let’s get you caught up on the latest news from spring camp and elsewhere in baseball. In Mariners news... Brock and Salk spoke to Mitch Haniger, who never wanted to leave the Mariners in the first place and is now thrilled to be back. Around the league... In a minor trade, the White Sox acquired left-hander Bailey Horn from the Cubs, enabling the north siders to clear a roster spot for Cody Bellinger. Ben Clemens at Fangraphs broke down the Dodgers’ decision to bring back fan...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Cubs trade Bailey Horn to the White Sox

Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via The left-handed prospect went back to the team that drafted him as the Cubs opened up a spot of the 40-man roster When the news came out over the weekend that the Cubs had agreed to bring back free agent Cody Bellinger on a three-year deal (with opt-outs), we knew that there had to be a corresponding move to open up a spot on the 40-man roster before the signing could be official. Today, the Cubs made that move as they traded left-handed pitched Bailey Horn to the White Sox for right-hander Matthew Thompson. In making the...

South Side Sox

Today in White Sox History: February 26

On this day six years ago, Jake Burger’s unfortunate injury odyssey began. Jake Burger suffers his first injury setback 1991 Five years after his death, Bill Veeck was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. The two-time owner of the White Sox (also with ownership of St. Louis Browns, Cleveland and the minor-league Milwaukee Brewers) was the last of the “small-time” or “common-touch” owners now made obsolete by free agency. He found quick success in both of his stints as White Sox owner. In 1959, he was finally handed the keys — the first...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Cubs vs. White Sox at Mesa preview, Friday 2/23, 2:05 CT

Workouts are over, games are beginning! | Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports It’s the Spring Training opener! MESA, Arizona — Well, here we are! Actual baseball, after a long offseason that seemed longer because of the lack of signing action from certain free agents. (Sure, why not, make this a “Belli watch” open thread!) Anyway, sure, this is just a practice game, and most of the guys in this game who will be Cubs come April will maybe take two at-bats. But it’s baseball. And in sunny, 80-degree weather. That’s the sort of thing we wait all winter for. Here are...

South Side Sox

Who is that guy? (Part 1: White Sox minor league deals)

Danny Mendick managed to be really bad for the Mets over just 33 games in 2023, so he’s back on a MiLB deal, hoping for another run on the South Side. | Adam Hunger/ The South Siders have brought a million players to camp, so here’s a breakdown of the of the guys on MiLB deals Immediately after signing on to be the general manager for the White Sox, Chris Getz took a different approach than his predecessors Rick Hahn and Ken Williams by testing the waters with small trades and acquisitions. Nothing splashy, of course — but the lack of quality doesn’t mean...

South Side Sox

Today in White Sox History: February 20

Ryan Sweeney would have the last laugh on a White Sox club that gave up on him. Happy birthday to a player who stung the South Siders after being traded 1985 Ryan Sweeney, a second round draft choice of the White Sox in 2003, was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The outfielder blew pretty well through three years of minors seasoning before making his MLB debut for the 2006 White Sox. A disappointing 2007 year in both the majors and Triple-A keyed Sweeney’s inclusion in the ill-fated Nick Swisher trade with Oakland in 2008. His -0.8 WAR compiled over just 33 major league...

South Side Sox

Today in White Sox History: February 19

On this day 39 years ago the White Sox dumped Roy Smalley, who had come at a cost of Doug Drabek. | Focus on Sport/ Not quite a Swisher series of deals, but not a great pair, either 1985 The White Sox traded Roy Smalley back to his longtime Minnesota Twins for minor league outfielder Ron Scheer and DH Randy Johnson. An all-time terrible trade had heralded Smalley’s arrival, as the White Sox got the washed-up veteran from the Yankees during the 1984 season at a cost of Doug Drabek, who would go on to 27.0 WAR over a decade in Pittsburgh and Houston. Smalley was...

12/17/18 MLB.com FastCast: Machado tours South Side

Manny Machado's free-agency tour starts with the White Sox, plus the Astros near a deal with Michael Brantley and the Mets sign Wilson Ramos About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the U

White Sox acquire Yonder Alonso from the Indians

The White Sox trade for first baseman and designated hitter Yonder Alonso, who hit .250 with 23 home runs as a member of the Indians in 2018. Here are his highlights from last season. About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most h

Pirates trade Ivan Nova to the White Sox

The White Sox bolster their rotation by making a trade with the Pirates, acquiring veteran right-hander Ivan Nova About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists