MLB Trade Rumors: Braves Favored for Dylan Cease; Dodgers, Orioles Eye White Sox SP
The Atlanta Braves could be in line to add another dynamic starter to the rotation.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Braves are the current favorite to acquire Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease this offseason.
However, there are multiple teams that could stand in Atlanta’s way of acquiring Cease, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that talks centered around the pitcher have been “robust” during the winter meetings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles were the other team’s named in Morosi’s report, but he did not shut the door on the possibility of other team’s being in on the White Sox pitcher.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post previously reported that the New York Mets were likely “shifting focus” away from players like Cease due to not having the prospect pool to acquire him.
Cease had a lackluster 2023 season, sporting a 4.58 ERA with a 7-9 record. This is an overall outlier for his career, as he finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 with a 2.20 ERA and a 14-8 record and is viewed to be a premier arm.
The 27-year-old has two years of control remaining on his contract, so he would be a multi-year factor for whatever team acquires him. This makes him both more attractive and more expensive, and it makes sense for the White Sox to sell high on him right now ahead of another potential rebuilding period.
Though the Braves are in a championship window right now and have a solid farm system full of young pitching talent, Cease might be the missing piece.
He could join a rotation that already boasts Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider, and this depth would further solidify the team’s pitching staff as one of the best in MLB.
Still, the Braves remain as involved as ever and appear to be quite the threat to poach Cease ahead of the 2024 season.
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