GLENDALE, AZ – If you believed the endless amount of Dylan Cease trade rumors that had the White Sox dealing their ace pitcher to the Braves, Orioles, Yankees, Dodgers, etc. this offseason, you're not the only one.
Cease believed them, too.
"I guess I assumed what I was reading was true. I did think I was going to get traded, honestly, but here we are," Cease said in a conversation on the White Sox Talk Podcast.
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Teams have been calling Chris Getz for months, but the new White Sox general manager has placed a high price on his best pitcher. So far, no one has met Getz's demands.
Although, at one point this winter, Cease did receive a phone call from Getz that seemed like it was THE call.
"There's only one time when (Getz) called me like that and the first thing he said was 'Hey you're not traded.' He broke the ice early with that," Cease explained. "We were texting. In constant communication."
With so many teams rumored to be interested in acquiring him, Cease didn't know where he'd be living for spring training until a few weeks ago. That's when he said Getz reached out and told him, "A trade is probably not going to happen now." So Cease rented a house, had his car shipped from Atlanta to Arizona and now he's here at Camelback Ranch with the White Sox–at least for now.
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Do you feel like it's inevitable that you're going to get traded?
Cease paused for a few seconds to think about that.
"Hmm. I wouldn't say it's inevitable. I would say there's a good chance. I'm not sure if inevitable is the right word. I think trying to predict the future, that's where you lose your focus. I'm just going to visualize performing and winning and go from there and see what happens. That's kind of like how life works. A lot of unexpected things happen. For all we know, we could come out and go on a bender and be in first place. It's not out of the realm of possibility. There's no reason not to start the year with a more optimistic mindset."
And if that call comes from Getz telling him that he's been traded, whether at spring training or sometime during the regular season, Cease is ready for whatever his future holds.
"I just really want to perform, so wherever I'm at, it's all kind of the same process. Do what you can to be your best," Cease said. "I'm happy to be here. I'm grateful to be a major league baseball player. I love Chicago. I enjoy my teammates. I enjoy the staff. It's really a win-win."