How Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s monster deal with Dodgers could help White Sox in trade talks originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It seems that one seismic, record-breaking contract during the offseason was not enough for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to blow the baseball world away once more on Thursday night.
Merely 10 days after shocking the planet by signing Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract that defers the majority of his salary, the Dodgers inked 25-year-old Japanese newcomer Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract, the richest deal for a pitcher in the league’s history.
Adding on a posting fee of nearly $51 million owed to the Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto’s former club in Japan, the Dodgers will commit over $375 million to the right-handed pitcher over the next dozen years.
The unprecedented level of spending by the Dodgers is expected to have ripple effects throughout the league on how teams manage the offseason, with Los Angeles‘ aggression potentially favoring the Chicago White Sox as the front office looks to retool the roster ahead of 2024.
A frequent subject of rumors earlier in the offseason, White Sox ace Dylan Cease is known to be on the radar of several teams across the league as one of the premier pitching options available in some capacity this offseason.
Cease, 28 next week, was a primary component of a trade alongside teammate Eloy Jiménez that sent José Quintana to the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs.
Despite a clear liability to walk hitters at a rate well above the league average, Cease has emerged as one of the game’s premier strikeout pitchers in recent years. Despite a noticeable setback in many metrics in 2023, Cease wrapped up his third-straight season of 210 or more strikeouts.
His 2022 campaign saw him finish as the runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award with 227 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA despite leading MLB in walks.
With elite strikeout production, ace potential, a younger age than most pitchers on the free agent market and two years of team control, Cease checks all of the boxes for an extremely attractive trade target.
Handling his first offseason at the helm for the White Sox’s front office, Chris Getz openly stated that the roster had no untouchables while also opining that he preferred to wait Yamamoto’s market out before taking talks on Cease more seriously.
With the Dodgers having shelled out record money for Yamamoto while also paying a steep price to both acquire and extend Tyler Glasnow, the…