SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have acquired right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-handers Steven Wilson, Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, and outfielder Samuel Zavala, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller announced today.

Cease, 28, set a career high with 33 starts in 2023 and struck out 214 batters, notching his third consecutive season with both 30-plus starts and 200-plus strikeouts. Overall, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA (90 ER, 177.0 IP), including a 3.48 ERA (17 ER, 44.0 IP) versus National League opponents.

In 2022, Cease finished 2^nd in the American League Cy Young voting behind Houston’s Justin Verlander, going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA (45 ER, 184.0 IP), a career-best 227 strikeouts, 6.4 fWAR, 1.11 WHIP and .190 opponents average. He ranked 2^nd among all AL hurlers that season in ERA, strikeouts, opponents average and H/9.0 IP (6.16), and 3^rd in SO/9.0 IP (11.10) and opponents slugging % (.306). Cease also set a Major League record by making 14 consecutive starts allowing one earned run or less from May 29-August 11, 2022.

Over five Major League seasons (2019-23), Cease has compiled a 43-35 record with a 3.83 ERA (280 ER, 658.0 IP), 1.31 WHIP, .228 opponents average, 11.7 bWAR and 792 strikeouts to just 294 walks in 123 career starts. Since his first full season in 2021, he ranks 1^st among all AL pitchers in starts (97) and SO/9.0 IP (11.40), 2^nd in strikeouts (667), T-4^th in wins (34), 5^th in innings pitched (526.2) and opponents average (.221) and 6^th in ERA (3.54). He was originally selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 6^th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft from Milton High School (Ga.) before being traded to the White Sox in July 2017.

Cease will wear No. 84 for the Padres.