When the White Sox report to spring training in Arizona next month, there's a chance the team takes the field without an ace in its rotation. While speaking to reporters earlier this week, White Sox general manager Chris Getz revealed they've received calls on starting pitcher Dylan Cease. And while a trade isn't imminent, he may not call Chicago his home much longer.
The rumors involving Cease are justified. The 28-year-old right-hander is only one year removed from finishing second in AL Cy Young voting, and although his 4.58 ERA in 2023 was underwhelming, he demonstrated his durability and talent by striking out 214 batters across a career-high 33 starts. Cease's cost-controlled contract and upside make him a coveted hot stove candidate, but he isn't dedicating too much time to those conversations.
"I kind of take a lot of the rumors with a grain of salt because you never know who's saying what or why," Cease recently told Rob Bradford on the 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast. "Not something that's keeping me up at night. But I'm definitely seeing a lot of the talk and noise... It's almost like a guessing game until it happens. It can be a lot of different emotional experiences.. I'm always going to try to take positives out of it. We're all speculating at this point -- I'm with the White Sox now. That's where my focus is...
"I haven't personally talked with anybody... Publicly saying it's an option is like an indirect way of letting me know. It's a business. It's form of communication and being honest about it -- I don't hold a grudge or anything if I'm not given down-to-the-detail info. At the end of the day, it really isn't my job... My job is to perform wherever I go and be a good player. Whatever the team wants to do with me, that's at their liberty and they can do that. Doesn't really change my process, by any means."
Cease, who'll be eligible for free agency in 2026, avoided arbitration with the White Sox on Thursday with a one-year, $8 million deal, according to reports. In five seasons, he owns a 3.83 ERA over 123 starts (658 innings), along with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.69. Despite his bloated ERA last season, he still posted his third straight campaign with 200-plus strikeouts, and his 97 starts since 2021 rank first in the majors.