It has been expected for quite some time now but it’s hard to believe that Dylan Cease has finally been traded. The San Diego Padres struck a deal yesterday for the one remaining trusted starting pitcher on the White Sox in exchange for three of the top ten prospects in their farm system and a veteran relief pitcher.
The White Sox acquired right-handed pitchers Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, and Steven Wilson in addition to outfielder Samuel Zavala in exchange for their ace of the past few seasons. Thorpe headlines the deal as he’s coming off a season in which he was one of the best pitchers in Minor League Baseball, but Iriarte and Zavala come with plenty of intrigue as well.
MLB Pipeline’s updated Top 30 White Sox Prospects List features Thorpe as the 3rd-ranked prospect in the system with Zavala checking in at 6th and Iriarte following at 9th. They will be ranked differently on other publications, but all three prospects acquired will be in the top ten range for the White Sox with Thorpe being a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball.
Considering where this organization was at this time last season, the farm system has been improved in a drastic way and adding three more pieces on top of those added last season and others that have developed in the system only further helps that case.
While many wanted a stronger package than this, three prospects entering the top ten of the system is an overall strong return for a team that is clearly aiming their focus on 2025 and beyond.
Thorpe is the most advanced prospect in the deal and is likely to be have a chance to claim a spot in the rotation later this season. He’s coming off a season in which he was named the 2023 MiLB Pitcher of the Year after posting a 2.52 ERA with 182 strikeouts across 139.1 innings between High-A and Double-A.
Known for his changeup, which is one of the best among all prospects, Thorpe features a five pitch mix with strong command and a seemingly high floor. The changeup is supplemented by two sliders that have distinct movements with one being more of a sweeper and the other being a sharper slider.
His fastball lags behind his off speed a little, but has a lot of run that enables it to survive despite being slower at just around 92-93 mph. He also utilizes a cutter as a change of pace offering that offers a different look. Thorpe’s ability to manipulate each offering while highlighting the elite changeup led to plenty of success.
He’s likely to open the season in Birmingham but the 23-year-old could move quickly considering he pitched to a 1.48 ERA with 44 strikeouts in his first five Double-A starts last year.
What else are the White Sox getting?
Jairo Irirate, a 22-year-old pitcher from Venezuela, has plenty of upside to dream on but does come with much more risk than Thorpe. He has yet to fully prove that he has a starter arsenal but his fastball and slider are both above-average and and the changeup has shown flashes of a strong offering as well.
Iriarte started the season strong in High-A with a 3.10 ERA and 77 strikeouts across 61 innings. He finished the year in Double-A where he posted a 4.30 ERA in 13 appearances, only seven of which were starts, while striking out 51 hitters in 29.1 innings. His command can waver at times due to inconsistencies in his command, but his stuff should continue to tick up.
His fastball sits in the mid 90’s and has gotten better each year as he has physically matured. The slider was extremely effective in creating whiffs last season and has room to improve in terms of command. His changeup, while less consistent, has shown signs of being a third pitch that can relied upon.
Command will be the hurdle for Iriarte as he walked over 10% of batters last season but he struck out hitters at an excellent rate and limited damage well. This profile comes with reliever risk, but Iriarte’s feel for three pitches gives reason to believe he can thrive as a starting pitch with time.
He’s another pitcher who could be a late season option for the White Sox in 2024 but will certainly factor into the plan for 2025. He has arguably more upside than Thorpe, but has more work to do in order to reach that level.
The last piece brought in via this deal was 19-year-old outfielder Samuel Zavala. The young, sweet swinging center fielder split time between Low-A and High-A last season in the Padres organization with most of his time spent in Low-A. He slashed .267/.420/.451 in Low-A before struggling when promoted to the next level in the last month of the year.
Touted for his on-base skills and approach at a young age, Zavala has shown an early ability to do a variety of things well. He has a lot of room to grow physically but his 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases is a good sign of a blend of power and speed.
He seems capable of handling center field long term which improves his value and takes pressure off him at the plate. His excellent approach, as seen by 94 walks in 2023, at such a young age makes him an intriguing piece to add but he will still need to impact the ball more and add strength to become a big league regular.
Zavala should spend most of the season with High-A Winston-Salem but could be a candidate to start in Kannapolis at the level he had success last season. He’s certainly a project, but has plenty of talent to develop into a major league regular.
Cashing in on Dylan Cease’s value while he has two full years of control was the right decision by Chris Getz. While I was expecting a tad more value, this deal is generally a good one that brings in three players who fit the timeline of the organization better than two more years of Cease does.
While it’s hard to watch another core piece depart, the White Sox farm system is in sneakily excellent shape heading into the 2024 season with potentially six top 100 level prospects and much more organizational depth than in recent years.
The return was only OK, not great. I really wanted a bat. Maybe a bat for 3 years from now, but hoping for someone almost major league ready.
Can you do a story on who goes to which affiliate. Hopefully all the minor teams will have a winning record! I am only really concerned about AAA. It is just so hard to pitch there. Pitching is now much stronger and someone like Jonathan Stiever now seems like an after thought and he is only 26 plus did OK in the majors before he got hurt.