What’s next in the Dylan Cease trade talks? 3 questions for Chicago White Sox after the winter meetings.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Chicago White Sox chipped away at their offseason plans during the winter meetings.

“We were able to get some things done,” general manager Chris Getz said Wednesday. “We got someone for our rotation and we’ve got a weapon here with our Rule 5 pick. We laid a foundation for the potential of bringing in guys in certain capacities.

“I know a lot of people are disappointed more business would have been conducted here around the league. But we’re still moving the needle.”

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Right-hander Erick Fedde is the addition to the rotation after coming to terms on a two-year, $15 million deal Tuesday. On Wednesday the Sox selected lefty Shane Drohan during the Rule 5 draft.

Meeting with reporters shortly after the Rule 5 draft, Getz addressed how close the Sox were to their next move.

“I wouldn’t say that we feel like we’re knocking on the door of something,” Getz said, “but it’s more getting a better idea of where we stand, whether it be acquiring a guy through free agency or trade.

“I will say we’re very organized. We’ve done a nice job this offseason with setting out a plan and feel really good about where we’re at so far. We want to continue to capture the momentum.”

Here are three questions after the winter meetings.

1. What’s next in the Dylan Cease trade talks?

The Sox weren’t going to rush into making a trade, such as moving Dylan Cease.

They left the winter meetings with one of the top pitchers mentioned in trade talks still on their roster.

“Everyone knows how impactful Dylan Cease is in this league,” Getz said. “But you have a certain threshold as an organization on a return on someone like Dylan Cease. And if there’s an opportunity to strengthen our club and plug some holes, which we need to do and continue to look for opportunities to do that, we have to consider it.”

Getz knows trade speculation can be challenging for players.

“I know he’s been reading his name in there, and that at times can be a little bit different feeling,” Getz said. “But he’s been traded before (going from the Cubs organization to the Sox in 2017). But he’s at a different stage in his career and Dylan’s really grown up, and he knows how I feel about him. He knows how the organization feels about him.

“He’s one of the stars in our game and we’ve really enjoyed having him. There’s certainly a chance he’s back with us and we’d feel pretty good about that too.”

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2. How does the Erick Fedde signing influence the rest of the offseason?

Last month the Sox acquired Michael Soroka and Jared Shuster as part of the trade that sent reliever Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves.

On Tuesday the Sox signed Fedde. Getz said starting pitching remains a “high priority” this offseason.

“We’ve got some innings to cover,” Getz said, “and we’re going to try to get the best pitchers we can within the means that we have.”

Fedde earned MVP honors in the Korea Baseball Organization after going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA in 30 starts in 2023 for the NC Dinos.

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Getz believes Fedde has the chance to aid the Sox in multiple ways.

“Makeup, work ethic, the awareness that he needed to make a change,” Getz said. “And not only did he understand he needed to make that change, but he went out and did it. We’re talking about a former first-rounder, a guy that has made countless starts at the major-league level (with the Washington Nationals from 2017-22).

“So he understands what it was going to take, and he was very intentional with the changes he made. And most importantly, he was able to execute.”

3. What made Shane Drohan an attractive option in the Rule 5 draft?

Seventy-three of Drohan’s 77 career outings in the minors have been starts.

Getz said the lefty wouldn’t necessarily have to be in the rotation.

“There’s also versatility there. That’s what made him attractive,” Getz said. “There are enough weapons there with his pitch mix — and that’s something we identified as well is his attack plan. We feel like there’s some tweaks to it to really optimize what he has.”

Drohan went 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in six starts for Double-A Portland in the Boston Red Sox farm system in 2023. But he had a 6.47 ERA while going 5-7 in 21 outings (19 starts) at Triple-A Worcester.

“At Double A, he was off and running pretty well, and then when he got up to Triple A, he slid a little bit,” Getz said. “Whether that was a fatigue factor — I know we dealt with it, a lot of pitchers going from Double A to Triple A with the ABS (automated ball-strike) system, it kind of altered their performance just because it was a different pitching environment.

“Obviously these things are bets, but there’s enough support and indicators to think that there’s potential here.”