GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dylan Cease makes his second start of the spring Thursday, and the expectation in White Sox camp is that he’ll make one at Guaranteed Rate Field on March 28, when the regular season opens against the Tigers.
While Cease remains on the trade block, “we still have people checking in, and as we go into the season, we’ll have people continuing to do that,” assistant general manager Josh Barfield told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “There’s nothing imminent with him. We’re preparing him to be the Opening Day starter.”
Cease’s presence or lack thereof will have much to do with how the Sox are perceived in 2024. As Barfield noted, the stands “are very, very crowded with opposing scouts, and he’ll continue to draw interest,” so who knows how long Cease will be around?
“But we’re in a good situation to have him here,” Barfield said. “Could things change? Of course. But everybody is excited with the idea of having him as our ace going into the year.”
That’s why Barfield, for one, isn’t sensing the gloom and doom felt elsewhere going into a season that begins in 21 days. He’s aware of the 100-loss projections for a team that lost 101 last season when he joined a revamped front office. And while he won’t go as far as predicting significant improvement in terms of wins and losses, Barfield believes the foundation being laid in camp can translate into a better product.
“Time will tell, right?” Barfield said. “We have the pieces to compete on a nightly basis. Now, we have to play good baseball to do that. [Manager] Pedro [Grifol] is talking about playing fast, playing clean and executing, so we have to do those things. But all these guys have that capability. So we’re going to find ourselves in a lot of ballgames.”
Vibe, energy and effort will only get so many wins, but that has been the talk of camp as it reached the three-week marker.
“It’s been very refreshing,” Barfield said.
“We felt like we’ve seen it, but it’s been really nice to hear from a lot of the players. It just feels different. It has been a common theme.”
And just how is this tangible?
“Spring training can get long and monotonous, but when you’re seeing 12-year vets running out a ground ball in the sixth inning, seeing guys getting after it during baserunning batting practice, you can just feel that energy, can see it in guys,” Barfield said. “It’s contagious. Last year, I was not here the whole year, but seeing the body language. … When things are going bad, it’s hard to get yourself up every day. It seems like the guys have done a good job turning the page.”
Barfield has noticed veterans who are done midway through Cactus League games stick around when they’re not required.
“Those little things make a big difference,” he said.
After last year’s disaster in his first season, Grifol is not doing well in popularity polls, and Barfield knows it. But he says Grifol deserves credit for the vibe around here.
“One of his best attributes is his ability to reflect, take feedback and make adjustments,” Barfield said. “He cares so much.
“Last year was rough, but we’re going to learn from the things that didn’t go well and not going to dwell on it. If you watch the workouts in the mornings, guys are going hard. Guys are competing.”
The Sox will have a better chance to compete, at least at the start, with Cease. They should enjoy him before he’s traded, with two years of contract control left, for prospects and/or young major-league-ready players.
“He has looked great,” Barfield said. “He’s done a great job of preparing himself and blocking out all the noise. We’re all excited to see what he can do this year.”
