MLB Rumors: Dylan Cease-Yankees connect, Cubs lose Tokyo castoff, Red Sox rotation

With the Tokyo Series and Opening Day right around the corner, MLB baseball is officially back. Oh, how sweet it is.

This was a hectic and transformative offseason, from Juan Soto's record-setting deal in Queens to the league-wide musical chairs on the mound. Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell. So many impactful players changed teams this winter. There is palpable excitement to learn how all of this will play out.

Just because the offseason is over doesn't mean teams aren't still lurking in free agency and on the trade front. MLB is a constantly evolving organism. Front offices never sleep. If anything, the approaching season only increases the urgency to iron out remaining roster kinks and balance checkbooks.

Let's dive into all the latest scuttlebutt from around MLB, including Boston's rotation woes, a Cubs loss, and New York's ongoing efforts to replace Gerrit Cole.

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MLB Rumors: Red Sox are extremely shorthanded after Lucas Giolito injury

Lucas Giolito made his long-awaited Boston Red Sox debut in Tuesday's spring training bout against Philadelphia. It did not go well.

The former All-Star, in his return from elbow surgery, allowed two walks and two runs in one inning, then did not return for a second frame due to a hamstring injury. The Red Sox have now scheduled an MRI for Giolito, per manager Alex Cora.

It has been bad news upon bad news for Red Sox fans of late. Giolito joins an increasingly long list of injured Boston pitchers, with Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello both expected to begin the regular season on the IL. We don't know the full extent of Giolito's injury yet, but with only a single inning of spring ball under his belt and Opening Day right around the corner, it's fair to express doubt over his availability to begin the campaign.

Boston made several upgrades to its pitching staff this winter, trading for Cy Young favorite Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler to a discounted rate. Still, with Giolito, Bello, and Crawford all out of commission, there's a good chance the Red Sox will need to rely on the likes of Quinn Priester and Richard Fitts early in the season. This is not the start Craig Breslow and Boston hoped for.

MLB Rumors: Travis Jankowski leaves Cubs for White Sox after Tokyo snub

The Chicago White Sox have officially announced their signing of veteran outfielder Travis Jankowski to a minor league contract. He heads to the Southside after spending the early portion of spring training on the Northside in a Chicago Cubs uniform.

Jankowski was left off of the Cubs' 31-man travel party for the Tokyo Series next week, so this is hardly surprising news. There was never a formal announcement of his Cubs release, but Jankowski now finds himself in a much better position (at least individually).

It has been an injury-plagued spring for the White Sox, who lost left fielder Andrew Benintendi to a broken hand in Cactus League action. The White Sox need help... just about everywhere, to be frank. The Southsiders are looking to rebound from the worst season in MLB history under new manager Will Venable, who is familiar with Jankowski from their shared time with the Texas Rangers.

It was a sluggish 2024 campaign for 33-year-old Jankowski, who hit .200 with a paltry .508 OPS across 104 appearances. Still, he's only a couple years removed from a productive World Series run in Arlington, so the White Sox ought to feel good about this low-risk investment.

MLB Rumors: Dylan Cease 'not expected' to replace Gerrit Cole in Yankees rotation

The New York Yankees were dealt tough news out of the gate this spring, as right-handed ace Gerrit Cole will miss the entire 2025 campaign as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. That leaves the Yankees unexpectedly light on the pitching front, even after the Max Fried signing.

One might expect New York, the reigning AL champs, to operate aggressively in pursuit of alternatives. Cole is impossible to replace one-for-one, but the right trade package could land the Yankees another All-Star to fill his void. A popular hypothetical candidate is San Diego Padres fireballer Dylan Cease, who finished last season fourth in NL Cy Young voting.

Cease is a legitimate trade candidate in the final year of his contract, but MLB Network's Jon Morosi does not expect the Yankees to come knocking.

"I just do not think we are going to see a Dylan Cease trade that rescues the Yankees season," he said.

The Yankees are apparently "reluctant" to add to the payroll, which aligns with Brian Cashman's comments in the aftermath of Cole's injury. New York has a maddening habit of getting cheap at the wrong time, and it's fair to wonder if Cease would even be a candidate to return in 2026 with both Cole and Fried on the books long term.