The New York Yankees made one final trade offer to the Chicago White Sox for right-handed starting pitcher Dylan Cease before the San Diego Padres landed him Tuesday.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the news:

The 28-year-old Cease was one of baseball’s best pitchers in 2022, when he finished second in the American League Cy Young race. During that season, Cease went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA (1.11 WHIP) and 227 strikeouts over 32 starts. He regressed in 2023, going 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA (1.42 WHIP) and 214 strikeouts over 33 starts.

The Yankees have been looking for starting pitching even after signing Marcus Stroman to the rotation earlier this offseason, with links to both Cease and Blake Snell.

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But with staff ace Gerrit Cole out for at least one-to-two months with an ailing right elbow that requires additional testing, the Yankees perhaps have more sense of urgency to get another pitcher to the Bronx.

Cease is off the market now, though, and now perhaps the Yankees turn more of their attention to Snell, the best remaining free agent on the market.

The problem is that there’s competition. Per MLB.com, the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies all have interest in him. However, Snell reportedly wants to go to the Angels, per ESPN’s Buster Olney on last Thursday’s edition of the Baseball Tonight podcast.

“I’m hearing that Blake Snell’s preference — strong preference — is to go to the Angels,” Olney said. “There [has] been back-and-forth with that team. That’s where I think he’s going to land.”

The Yankees could also sign an old friend in Jordan Montgomery, a left-hander who played for the Bronx Bombers from 2017-2022 before the team traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals. One year later, Montgomery starred for the Texas Rangers en route to their first-ever World Series title.

For now, though, the top four Yankees’ rotation consists of Stroman, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes, although it’s certainly possible New York makes a move before the season begins on March 28.