After losing out on Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola, the Braves have shifted their focus to another frontline starter, but one that isn’t on the free agent market. According to Bob Nightengale, Alex Anthopoulos is engaged in trade talks with Chris Getz, the White Sox GM, for Chicago’s ace Dylan Cease.
Atlanta has joined the Dodgers and several others who are engaged in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for ace Dylan Cease.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 27, 2023
Anthopoulos worked out a deal with Getz about a week ago, sending fan favorite Michael Soroka to Chicago along with Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake, and Riley Gowens in exchange for Aaron Bummer. It seems another could be on the horizon.
There’s not an available player on the trade market that will fetch a bigger return than Dylan Cease, but the Braves probably have enough talent to work out a deal. A deal centered around AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, and Vaughn Grissom should be enough.
The Georgia native would be worth moving what talent the Braves have on the farm. Even though the Georgia native is coming off an underwhelming season, recording a 4.58 ERA over 33 starts. He’s 27 years old with some of the nastiest stuff in baseball and has two more seasons of team control left.
Instead of getting into a bidding war for Nola, Gray, or another free agent starter, it seems more likely that AA will acquire a frontline starter via trade now. And there’s not a better option than Cease.
He finished second in the AL Cy Young race in 2022, posting a 2.20 ERA and 11.1 K/9, 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 pull it off.
—
Photo: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.