Although not as important a conversation as it would have been early in the 2026 season, White Sox fans are still waiting for the Dylan Cease trade to mean something. So far, that hasn't happened in the least, and it's looking increasingly likely that they gave away a former Cy Young Award runner-up for next to nothing.

With that said, the centerpiece of the return for Cease does remain in the organization, and he's been waiting for his next chance with the big club since he was injured in 2024.

Drew Thorpe is Still a Name to Watch for White Sox

Drew Thorpe missed 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he put up some decent numbers in the minor leagues as part of his rehab in 2026. Still, he never got the call, even as the White Sox struggled to get innings from their starting pitchers down the stretch.

Even so, the Sox have reason to hope that Thorpe was worth acquiring. In 10 starts across four minor-league levels, Thorpe went 2-0 with a 2.85 ERA while striking out 38 and walking 13 over 41 innings pitched. Both of his wins came while at Triple-A Charlotte.

Thorpe didn't exactly blow people away during his lone MLB season in 2024, but it was hard to find anyone on the Sox who did while losing a modern-era record 121 games. Thorpe posted a 0.1 bWAR while recording a 3-3 record, 25 strikeouts, and 21 walks.

Thorpe had a 5.48 ERA, but aside from giving up seven runs in his second start, he didn't surrender more than two runs in the other six of his first seven starts. Plus, he had five consecutive starts in which he went at least six innings, which the Sox definitely could have used by the end of 2026.

Thorpe gave up 14 runs over his final two starts of 2024, by which time it was obvious that something was wrong with him. He would go on to miss the final two months of the season. Those starts most definitely inflated his ERA, which was unfortunate given how much he had shown before that.

If Thorpe shows even flashes of similar brilliance during preseason prep, the Sox will have to seriously consider putting him on the Opening Day roster. This will be especially true if they don't substantially address starting pitching via trade or free agency. Indeed, considering the staff's state when this past season ended and the franchise's reluctance to spend big on pitching, they might not have any choice but to give Thorpe a shot.