Cease good to go, or stay, with White Sox
White Sox pitchers and catchers were on the field for the first time in spring training Wednesday.
The competition for spots in the starting rotation is officially on, and the Sox can only hope there is strength in numbers.
Manager Pedro Grifol told reporters a whopping 14 or 15 pitchers are being stretched out to start “and we'll see where it goes.”
At this early stage last spring, the White Sox's starting five was pretty much set with Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger.
This year, it's Cease, probably Kopech and TBA from a large group of candidates including former reliever Garrett Crochet, newcomers Erick Fedde and Michael Soroka, Touki Toussaint and top pitching prospects Nick Nastrini and Jake Eder.
Cease is likely the only one in camp capable of making 30 or more starts and he is clearly the ace of a Sox team that's not looking much better than the one that lost 101 games last year.
Both Grifol and general manager Chris Getz said they expect Cease to be on the mound when the White Sox open the season with a March 28 home game against the Tigers.
That doesn't mean Cease is safe from being traded during spring training, or during the season.
"At this point, Dylan Cease, I expect him to be our Opening Day starter,” Getz said.
For a team trying to bounce back from such a miserable season, dealing the best pitcher on the roster doesn't seem to make sense.
In reality, the Sox are likely to be bad again with or without Cease. Getz's asking price for the 2022 American League Cy Young runner-up is extremely high, but getting some premium young talent for Cease is the right way to go.
The trade rumors have been flying all winter, and Cease has been linked to teams like the Orioles, Braves, Dodgers, Yankees and more. Being under contractual control through 2025 only adds to his value.
Baltimore might be ready to up its offer for Cease after announcing starters Kyle Bradish and John Means won't be ready when the season opens due to injuries.
When he was going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA two years ago, Cease never got too high. When he dropped to 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA last season, the right-hander never got too low.
His ability to mentally stay in the moment has served Cease well through all the trade talk.
“I kind of followed the reports and I assumed they were accurate,” Cease told reporters in Arizona. “I tried to just treat it like I would any other off-season. There was definitely a lot of noise but for the most part, I just focused on getting ready. At the end of the day, I just want to perform.”
If that means performing on a new team that has legitimate playoff aspirations, that's fine with Cease.
“Part of it’s exciting,” he said. “I guess anything that’s new and novel like that can be exciting. But I have a lot of good relationships with coaches and teammates and all that here.”
If he does stay with the White Sox, Cease said all of the grim projections are only that — projections.
“We’re not here with the mindset that we’re going to lose,” he said. “I’m happy to be here and there’s no reason to start the season with any self-doubt. Baseball is one of those games where anything can happen. We’re all prepared to do the best that we can and see what happens.”