GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease looked regular season ready during his start in a 14-1 victory over the Reds Tuesday night at Goodyear Ballpark.

The right-hander actually looked American League Cy Young-ready over his 3 1/3 innings and 64 pitches.

Now, the question is whether that 2024 regular season will begin with his second straight Opening Day start for the South Siders, or if Cease will be working his craft for someone else. Cease¡¯s immense talent, his easy-going but competitive demeanor and his two years of contractual control continues to make him one of the top trade targets in the game.

¡°It just is not something that¡¯s really that big of a deal,¡± Cease said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s out of my control. Really I am just going to perform like I¡¯ve said. I don¡¯t view it as a negative. Either way, I mean, I don¡¯t view it as a negative.¡±

¡°I don¡¯t worry about that stuff. I really don¡¯t,¡± White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. ¡°I don¡¯t think Cease worries about it too much, either. He¡¯s the perfect guy for this just because he is where his feet are. I am where my feet are. This is where we are at right now, this is what we need to do to prepare ourselves for our Opening Day.¡±

Cease¡¯s preparation in Spring Training start No. 3 included eight strikeouts, one walk and one home run allowed. He even introduced a 64 mph changeup against Elly De La Cruz in the third, which has not yet been recognized by Statcast, although he gave it a name after it just missed the strike zone¡­

¡°Just a Slow Boy,¡± said a smiling Cease. ¡°I¡¯m telling you. It¡¯s frustrating because I throw it for a strike really well in my warmups but I haven¡¯t quite got it in the game. I¡¯m going to keep mixing those in. It¡¯s a lot of fun to throw.¡±

Tuesday began with rumors of the Yankees renewing interest in Cease, as reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole was having an MRI on his sore right elbow and having future tests scheduled for the affected area. General manager Chris Getz contacted Cease Tuesday morning, with Cease mentioning the conversation postgame, to tell him about rumors going around.

There has been intense interest throughout the offseason in Cease, as the White Sox undergo a rebuild and could add another group of top young players into the mix. Trade interest at this moment could lead to an inevitable deal before the season¡¯s first pitch has been thrown or it could just be normal discussion from teams checking in.

Previous offers have been rejected by Getz, who has set a high asking price for Cease and won¡¯t adjust that price. The Rangers were mentioned by a couple of outlets Tuesday as a team re-evaluating a push for the 28-year-old pitcher who has made 97 starts over the past three seasons.

Grifol was asked pregame Tuesday if he thought Cease would still be his Opening Day starter as of March 12. His response wasn¡¯t full of certainty.

¡°I don¡¯t know. I mean, how am I supposed to know that? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen out there,¡± Grifol said. ¡°I don¡¯t know where other teams are, what their urgency is. I have no idea. I leave that to our Major League scouts, our general manager, the front office.

¡°My focus is right here on this team, making sure we¡¯re checking every box. The objectives I feel we need to check before Opening Day. I¡¯m not focused on that.¡±

There was never a thought in Cease¡¯s mind that his start might not take place against the Reds. It was the kind of start he clearly was pleased with as Cactus League action moves toward a conclusion.

¡°For any outing, yeah. Really good,¡± Cease said. ¡°Command, the heater, throwing the off speed for strikes, throwing the slider, strike to ball, very good.¡±