White Sox' Dylan Cease calmly stays in trade-talk limbo: 'I'm just a player, man'

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dylan Cease remains in limbo, on the trade block for the rebuilding White Sox. He’s one of the most talked-about available starting pitchers out there for contending teams looking for a serious upgrade to their rotation.

Free agents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still out there, too, for teams unwilling to part with the prospects or young major-league-ready players the Sox are looking for. They are represented by Scott Boras, Cease’s new agent.

Cease says he hasn’t heard from his representation about anything that might be in the works.

“No, I don’t really know,” Cease told the Sun-Times on Tuesday. “I don’t speculate on anything. I know the team is going to have its ideas and plans, and I’m a player, man. I just show up and throw the ball when I’m told and where I’m told.”

Cease’s first scheduled start is Saturday against the Rangers in Surprise. He came to camp feeling better than he ever has at the start, having avoided his usual winter triceps soreness.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Cease said. “I went to see a physical therapist more often; I think that helped.”

Cease had Tommy John surgery 10 years ago when he was a Cubs prospect. He hasn’t missed a start since his first one with the Sox against the Tigers on July 3, 2019.

“No, I don’t feel special,” Cease said. “I just try to do things to help me recover and stay strong.”

With 30 days till Opening Day against the Tigers on March 28 at Guaranteed Rate Field — which he is pegged to start — Cease said he is “very happy with where my throwing is right now.”

As for the trade rumors, general manager Chris Getz — who made it known in November that Cease could be had for the right price — and manager Pedro Grifol have glowed about how Cease has handled it.

Cease just rolls with the flow, knowing he could start the season anywhere.

“Either way, it’s baseball,” he said. “Just part of the job, really. I’ve accepted that.”

Sox make deal with Cubs, lose Scholtens

Left-hander Bailey Horn was acquired from the Cubs in a swap for another minor-league pitcher, Matthew Thompson.

Horn takes the vacated 40-man roster spot of right-hander Jesse Scholtens, who will have Tommy John surgery Friday, the Sox announced. Scholtens was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He made 11 starts last season and was 1-9 with a 5.29 ERA.

Horn is 11-9 with a 4.20 ERA over three minor-league seasons in the Cubs’ farm system. The Sox drafted him in 2020 and traded him to the Cubs for Ryan Tepera in 2021.

“Anytime you can pick up a left-handed pitcher with some ability, you try to do it,” Grifol said. “He just adds value to the organization, competition. Left-handed pitchers are hard to find.”

Ohtani, all the time

After striking out against Garrett Crochet in his first at-bat in a Dodgers uniform — swinging through a fastball with enough force to knock his helmet off — and hitting into a double play his second time up, two-time unanimous American League MVP Shohei Ohtani did not disappoint.

Facing right-hander Dominic Leone, a non-roster invitee in Sox camp, Ohtani, the Dodgers’ designated hitter, hit an opposite-field two-run homer in the fifth inning.

“It was definitely a big first step,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I feel good at the plate and felt better each time I got up, so it’s trending in the right direction.”

Dodgers 9, Sox 6

New shortstop Paul DeJong hit a three-run home run against Dodgers righty Michael Grove, and Eloy Jimenez, Nicky Lopez and Andrew Vaughn doubled in the first noteworthy offensive game for the Sox’ regulars this spring. The Sox are 1-4; the Dodgers are 5-0-1.

• Jimenez made adjustments with his hands and feet in his stance this offseason as he tries to get the ball in the air more often. Manager Pedro Grifol likes how Jimenez is swinging the bat, his fitness and the way he’s running.

“His at-bats are important to us,” Grifol said. “That he [stays healthy and] gets a ton of at-bats, it’s really important for us.”

• Jesse Chavez, 40, trying to win a spot in the bullpen, came back from a six-run outing against the Cubs in the opener to notch a perfect inning, striking out Max Muncy and also retiring Teoscar Hernandez and Jason Heyward.

• On deck: Padres at Sox, 2:10 p.m., Wednesday, Glendale, Matt Waldron vs. Deivi Garcia.