NEW YORK -- Jose Quintana didn't intend to talk about personal trade rumors after he addressed the matter early on in Spring Training.
But the affable White Sox ace had no choice but to make an exception Monday as numerous New York writers spoke with him about the possibility of a return to the Yankees. Quintana was not added to the Yankees' 40-man roster after the 2011 season, allowing him to be claimed by the White Sox as a free agent and later thrive in Chicago's rotation.
New York also has the elite prospect haul to make a deal for Quintana work out with the rebuilding White Sox.
"I heard a lot of rumors, but rumors are rumors, and I don't pay attention to that," said Quintana, who has expressed a desire to stay in Chicago. "I hear about a lot of things, but if you are a player, you don't have control about that.
"I'm focusing on doing my thing and going to the mound to do my job. I don't like to talk about that. I have the same answer every time. I don't have control. I focus on helping my team and my teammates. That's baseball. It is what it is."
Amid a great start by the White Sox staff, their ace has struggled with a 0-3 mark and 6.75 ERA. Quintana has walked nine and allowed four home runs over 17 1/3 innings, but doesn't think the myriad trade rumors have anything to do with his struggles.
"Now I have my mind on doing a better job to help my team," Quintana said. "I know I have a lot of responsibility, but I try not to put that on my shoulders. I don't want any pressure for me. I just do my thing and do a better job.
"That happens sometimes, and I learned from the last two starts. I watched a couple of videos, and it was a couple of bad locations. That's going to happen sometimes, so I just try to get better."