The Dylan Cease Trade Just Got Worse For The White Sox

The White Sox continued their flurry of offseason activity this afternoon, acquiring pitchers Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin in a salary dump trade with the Red Sox. To make space for them on the 40-man roster, the team designated catcher Drew Romo and pitcher Jairo Iriarte for assignment, the latter of which was part of a significant trade himself not too long ago.

Iriarte was a key piece of the White Sox return in the March 2024 Dylan Cease trade with the Padres. And at first, it looked like the White Sox had a future rotation piece on their hands. In 23 games with the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 2024, he recorded a 3.71 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 8.7 K/9 in 126 innings despite being two and a half years younger than the average player at the level. He parlayed his performance in Double-A into six appearances with the White Sox in 2024 and looked primed to take another step forward in 2025.

Stalled Development

Unfortunately for him, this past season was a massive step backwards across the board. He spent the majority of the year with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, where his ability to throw strikes completely disappeared. He walked 37 in 46 innings, allowing 53 hits as well. All told, he recorded an ugly 7.24 ERA and 1.96 WHIP for the Knights. The White Sox sent him to Arizona last May in an attempt to clean up his mechanics, but the changes never translated in game action. His struggles most recently continued in the Venezuelan Winter League with Tiburones de La Guaira, where he surrendered nine runs, issued eight walks, and struck out just two hitters in 5.1 innings.

Iriarte has found himself in a roster crunch similar to Bryan Ramos, who was designated for assignment just a few days ago. As the White Sox continue improving the team, those on the fringes of the 40-man roster are increasingly at risk of losing their spots. Iriarte is the latest roster casualty, and while it’s possible that he clears waivers and stays in the White Sox organization, they now risk losing him for nothing. His situation is a reminder that even top prospects are not guaranteed to pan out.

Cease Trade Looking Rough

The Dylan Cease trade is shaping up to be one of Chris Getz’s worst moves since taking over as General Manager. Drew Thorpe, the centerpiece of the trade, went down to Tommy John surgery in spring training last year and missed all of 2025. Samuel Zavala has improved in the lower minors, but has not broken out as expected. The team also traded Steven Wilson to the Rays earlier this offseason and now risks losing Iriarte too. At this point, the trade will likely come down to how good Thorpe becomes. With him likely back sometime this summer, we will find out soon enough.