Keep him and what? There is only one possible positive outcome from doing this. He reverts back to a true ace in the first half of 2024 for a team with no chance at competing for the division, and you trade him at the deadline. But at the same time, he will be losing months of control in a competitive team’s rotation. We all know there is zero chance that Reinsdorf will sign off on paying Cease. So what if he instead continues on as a #2 or #3 starter and diminishes his value further? He will have less months of control and he will have further declined in the eyes of other teams. I see no way that keeping Cease until next year’s trade deadline being worth the risk, rather than trading him now with two full seasons of control and one “down” year on his resume.