Dylan Cease’s name keeps coming up as a potential trade target for the Reds.

Shane Bieber, the past Cy Young Award winner, and Tyler Glasnow, the starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, are reportedly targets for the Cincinnati Reds. However, it appears that Cincinnati supporters would rather see pitcher Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox traded.

Rumor has it that the White Sox and Reds have spoken. And as the offseason progresses, there’s reason to think that a deal could be worked out, even though nothing seems imminent.

But there’s no denying that acquiring Cease won’t be cheap. The haul that the White Sox will receive is comparable to what the Reds got in 2022 when they traded Luis Castillo. Rock on, Reds supporters. These fictitious trade packages won’t appeal to everyone, but that’s the price of conducting business.

1. Reds trade former 1st-round pick and more for Dylan Cease

The Cincinnati Reds farm system will be heavily emphasized in the most of these recommendations, so if you’re a prospect-hugger, you might want to turn away. The South Siders will be searching for young, manageable talent because the Chicago White Sox will not be participating in the season.

Therefore, keep dreaming if you think you can easily get Dylan Cease by offering up Jonathan India and a few low-level prospects. Recognize that it will hurt to trade for a front-line starter with two years of team control.

It’s possible that Cam Collier, the Cincinnati Reds’ 2022 first-round selection, will be a part of any trade for Cease. Even if Collier’s first professional season wasn’t the best, he still have promise. Collier is a star in the making.

However, Collier won’t be able to get Cease by himself. This is going to hurt, as I mentioned. Don’t hesitate to include Connor Phillips on the list. This will not sit well with many Reds fans because Phillips is considered a rising talent in the rotation. However, maybe Phillips’ loss doesn’t hurt as much if the Reds signed Cease for two seasons.

But there’s still more. The Cincinnati Reds would probably need to give up one of their young infielders, like Leonardo Balcazar, Sammy Stafura, or Victor Acosta, in order to complete the deal. In theory, this might be sufficient to bring Dylan Cease to Cincinnati.

2. Reds trade top prospects and key asset for Dylan Cease

It will not feel nice to swing this kind of trade, to reiterate. This takes us to yet another trade idea that is loaded with prospects and would send two of the Cincinnati Reds’ best prospects to Chicago.

Remember when Nick Krall obtained two of Seattle’s best prospects for the Reds in return for a year and two months of Cincinnati’s best starting when they traded Luis Castillo to the Mariners? The Chicago White Sox will be seeking remuneration along these lines.

Edwin Arroyo might very well be included in a Cease transaction. Arroyo, who was acquired by the Mariners in the aforementioned trade, appears to be blocked at the major league level and may be worth more as a trade chip than as a potential starter for the Reds in the future.

However, as seen by the last hypothetical trade package, a single elite prospect is insufficient to complete the task. In order to make up for losing their best pitcher, the White Sox may try to get Chase Petty in a trade for Cease.

Although Petty’s loss would be significant for the Reds farm system, he is still likely at least a year away from joining the major leagues. That would go pretty well with the timeframe of Chicago.

In conclusion, the Reds could need to include a further young player in addition to their newly acquired Competitive Balance selection pick. While comp picks can be traded, major league teams are not allowed to trade their own draft selections. Cincinnati accomplished this in their 2019 trade for Sonny Gray with the New York Yankees.

This transaction, which is also heavy on prospects, would be devastating to Cincinnati’s farm system. However, Nick Krall could be able to tolerate losing some of his youthful talent after selecting higher in the 2024 MLB Draft.

3. Reds trade MLB-ready players for Dylan Cease

Alright, enough about the prospects for now. Let’s take a look at a potential trade package that will hurt just as much but won’t have an impact on the Cincinnati Reds farm system.

This plan appears a little more improbable because it would be counterintuitive to give up your major league-caliber players in exchange for Dylan Cease, who is a player you want to win in 2024 and 2025. Therefore, there is a chance that the Reds will give up players on the 40-man roster in exchange for Cease.

Following his 2023 major league debut, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is certain to take Joey Votto’s spot at first base for the upcoming campaign. But Nick Krall mentioned that Jonathan India might see some action at first base, and Spencer Steer played a lot of first base in the previous season.

No one will be particularly interested in trading Encarnacion-Strand because the slugger can hit more than 30 home runs in a season. However, Cease is expected to fetch a high price, while Encarnacion-Strand would be considered a major league ready player.

However, Cease won’t be able to move to the Queen City with a one-for-one swap. It would also need the Reds to give up one of their starters. Andrew Abbott appears to be a star, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft are both recovering from injuries, and Hunter Greene has already agreed to a six-year contract.

However, given the current configuration of the Reds rotation, Brandon Williamson might be the odd man out. With several years of team control left, the left-hander just finished his first season. To close a deal, pairing Williamson with Encarnacion-Strand and adding a prospect might be sufficient.

The Cincinnati Reds fan base is unlikely to approve of any of these potential trade packages. On the other hand, Reds Country had better prepare for some significant losses if they truly hope to close a deal for Dylan Cease. Acquiring a guy such as Cease will be expensive since the beginning pitching market is more competitive than it has ever been.