Former White Sox pitcher enjoying game with Padres
Dylan Cease said his final season with the Chicago White Sox “wasn't enjoyable in really any way.”
The ace right-hander had a tough year and the team struggled. He's having a much better time with the San Diego Padres.
“It's definitely really exciting coming to the ballpark,” Cease said. “Again with the Sox though, I mean, I really felt like we had that talent. We just didn't put it together.”
Cease is back in Chicago this week for a three-game series against the Cubs. The Padres also play the White Sox this season, but the three-game set is at San Diego in September.
The 28-year-old Cease was selected by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2014 amateur draft. He starts the series finale at Wrigley Field on Wednesday.
“It's always good to come back,” he said. “Obviously I don't have quite as much history with the Cubs, but I enjoy Wrigley. I enjoy Chicago.”
The White Sox acquired Cease and slugger Eloy Jimenez as part of a blockbuster trade with the Cubs in July 2017 for veteran pitcher Jose Quintana. Cease and Jimenez became part of a promising young core on the South Side, but the team quickly fell apart after making the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Cease was one of baseball's best pitchers in 2022, going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA in 32 starts. He had a career-best 227 strikeouts in 184 innings and finished second in the AL Cy Young Award race. But his ERA ballooned to 4.58 in a career-high 33 starts last year, and the White Sox finished with a 61-101 record.
After months of rumours and speculation, Cease was traded to San Diego in March for reliever Steven Wilson and three prospects. Cease quickly jumped on a plane and joined his new team in South Korea.
Cease has made a smooth transition.
He is 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA in seven starts this season. He also has 48 strikeouts in 421/3 innings, looking more like the pitcher he was two years ago.