The Cincinnati Reds are having the type of season Chicago White Sox fans thought they’d be living through since 2020. A young, fun team, competing for a division title, staying in the playoff picture atop the Wild Card standings and now they’re trying to add pitching ahead of the Aug. 1, trade deadline. With the sad state of the 2023 White Sox, the first instinct for some fans is, “what if the White Sox trade Dylan Cease to the Reds?”

According to MLB reporter Mark Feinsand, the Reds have already spread word around the league that they are willing to trade 26-year-old second baseman Jonathan India for young, but probably more important for Cincinnati, controllable pitching.

So, what if the White Sox traded Cease for India, plus two of the top-five prospects in the Reds farm system, including Cincinnati’s top rated minor leaguer?

Cease, 27, still has two more years of arbitration remaining before he can test free agency following the 2025 season. So far in his MLB career, the White Sox righty has been solid to Cy Young caliber since his rookie season. This year, Cease has posted a 4.04 ERA in 21 starts, but for the majority of the year he’s pitched like a top of the rotation pitcher.

Since May 13, Cease has made 13 starts and during this stretch the right-hander has a 3.19 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 29% strikeout rate in 73.1 innings. Age, durability, quality and relatively cheap for multiple seasons makes Cease as one of the most valuable trade chips this summer not named Shohei Ohtani.

I’m not a huge fan of this site (Trade Simulator) because sometimes the values seem way off, but what the hell, everyone else throws around trade proposals, so how about this one between the Reds and White Sox.

Cease traded for India, Marte and Petty

Jonathan India: 26, 2B

It’s a low bar, but Jonathan India would be the best second baseman the White Sox have had in several years. Is he an all-star at this point of his career? No, but he’s a solid hitter, who has rebounded after his sophomore season and at 26-years-old, who’s to say India won’t get better as he enters his prime.

So far in 2023, India has put up a slash line of .251/.338/.411, with 14 home runs, a 1.3 fWAR and a 99 wRC+ in 100 games. In 2021, India won NL Rookie of the Year, when he blasted 21 home runs and put up a 3.0 fWAR season behind a strong 120 wRC+.

That being said, India hasn’t been a great defender at second base, -14 defensive runs saved in 2022 and -5 DRS this year. Out Above Average has him at -9 last year and -2 so far in 2023.

India, who is making $760K this season, is under team control through the 2026 season. So, three years of arbitration beginning in 2024.

Noelvi Marte: 21, SS/3B

Noelvi Marte is the number one prospect in the Reds minor league system and he’s one phone call away from reaching the majors. The 21-year-old middle infielder is currently ranked 16th overall in MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list.

In 2023, Marte has played 70 games in the minor leagues, most coming at Double-A. So far at Triple-A, the right-handed hitter has posted an .879 OPS, slashing .324/.364/.515, in 17 games.

Here’s a brief scouting report from MLB.com on Marte.

There are few prospects with more raw power than Marte, and he’s continuing to learn how to tap into it, with 36 homers over the last two seasons. It shows up more to his pull side as he’s good at barreling the ball out front. He draws walks and keeps his strikeouts to a minimum but can still improve on swing decisions and overall consistency in following his gameplan, though it should be noted he’s always been quite young for his level.

While Marte has the feel, instincts and arm to play shortstop long-term, it’s unclear if he’s going to outgrow the position. The Reds introduced him to third base in the AFL and were pleased with how that went, even if outside evaluators detected a player who looked more like he wanted to prove he can stick at short. He’s just 21 for all of the 2023 season, with plenty of time for him to figure things out and let his bat carry him to the big leagues.

Chase Petty: 20, RHP

Right-handed starting pitcher Chase Petty was a first-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2021. A year later he was dealt to the Reds in the Sonny Gray trade and now Petty is dominating in Advanced A-Ball in Cincinnati’s farm system.

Petty is ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the Reds’ system and in 11 starts this season the righty has a 1.74 ERA in 41.1 innings. The 20-year-old has not allowed a home run yet and he’s struck out 44 batters to 10 walks.

Here’s MLB.com’s scouting report on Petty.

Known for his triple-digits velocity in high school, Petty showed signs of being more of a complete pitcher than some anticipated, especially out of the gate. He sat around 94-95 mph while working with a pretty strict pitch count and his lower arm slot leads to sink and run and resulting groundball outs. His mid-80s slider is a plus breaking ball that can miss bats and he’s made a lot of progress on his changeup, which was a point of emphasis last year.

Petty’s athleticism — some say he looks like a shortstop on the mound — works to his advantage and he pitches with a ton of energy. His move up a level to Dayton in 2022 helped him learn about professional routines and preparation as well as to trust his stuff in the zone more, with more advanced hitters less likely to chase. He’s just as willing to pitch to contact — that improved changeup will continue to come in handy — and looks like he has the combination of stuff and command to be a solid big league starter.

Do the Reds say no? Do the White Sox say no? Do you like this deal? Let us know!

And if you think that’s crazy, check out other ridiculous trade rumors that have been floating around the past week or so.