Alex Anthopoulos worked out a deal with Chris Getz a couple of days ago, sending fan favorite Michael Soroka to Chicago along with Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake, and Riley Gowens in exchange for Aaron Bummer, but there could be another blockbuster trade on the horizon for the Braves and White Sox.
According to Bob Nightengale, Gertz has made it very clear that his club is willing to listen to any offers on any player
Attention all shoppers.
Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz: "I've made it very clear that the White Sox are willing to listen in on any of our players.''— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 17, 2023
Eloy Jimenez, who finished fourth in the 2019 Rookie of the Year race and followed it up with a Silver Slugger during the shortened 2020 campaign, is someone that Ken Rosenthal noted being available, but I’ve got my sights a bit higher.
Dylan Cease is one of the most talented pitchers in the sport and will surely garner a haul of prospects in return if he’s moved, but it seems like the exact kind of splash Alex Anthopoulos has made in the past.
Instead of getting into a bidding war for one of the highly coveted free agents (Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, etc.), it seems much more likely that AA acquires that frontline starter via trade. Whether it’s an ace like Corbin Burnes or maybe a middle-of-the-rotation guy like Freddy Peralta, there are avenues the Braves can take other than overpaying in free agency.
Cease and Burns are obviously frontline starters that would cost an arm and a leg, but the former would be more expensive in terms of prospect capital because of the multiple years of control.
He’s coming off one of his worst seasons, posting a 4.58 ERA over 33 starts, but Cease finished second in the AL Cy Young race in 2022, posting a 2.20 ERA and 11.1 K/9. The Georgia native features nasty stuff, but what’s most attractive about the prospect of acquiring him is his durability, recording 32+ starts in each of the last three seasons with a combined ERA of 3.54 and a FIP of 3.40.
The White Sox are seemingly open for business, and now that Anthopoulos and Getz have already worked out one deal, there’s a path for more trades in the future. The asking price for Dylan Cease will be incredibly high, but that doesn’t mean the Braves can’t work out a deal.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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