After Shohei Ohtani signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, trade talks began, and the Chicago White Sox began shopping Dylan Cease for weeks. Then, LA traded for former Rays ace Tyler Glasnow to fill a need in their starting rotation.
The player who was sent to Tampa Bay in that trade, Ryan Pepiot, was reportedly desired by Chicago, which is why the White Sox were apparently disappointed with that decision. Now, according to Bob Nightengale, the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles are preferred landing sites for Sale, with Los Angeles apparently taking a backseat in negotiations for the time being.
The Orioles are in desperate need of starting pitching, but unless the Angelos family has given their approval, this fit seems unlikely given their reluctance to part with top prospects and their inability to offer a frontline starter an expensive extension.
If the Braves so choose, they have the advantage and, for once, appear to have some negotiating power. For the time being, the White Sox have no suitor, and the Orioles are refusing to budge from Chris Getz’s ridiculous trade demands for Cease. A trade agreement is warranted if Alex Anthopoulos could reach a mutually agreeable agreement with Getz.
MLB Rumors: The Braves should acquire Dylan Cease through trade now.
The Braves would prefer to add little to their payroll for the upcoming season, but Anthopoulos’ timing is ideal to include Cease in the mix. With two years remaining on his current contract, the Braves can let Cease finish out the season on his current terms. If they lose Max Fried, a free agent in 2024, they may think about giving him an extension next winter.
It is a huge advantage to have Fried as a backup, especially one that has the same pitch arsenal and other resources as Cease. Even so, Anthopoulos would still have to give up some of his best prospect money for Cease (think AJ Smith-Shawver, Vaughn Grissom, etc.); none of those players, however, have the same level of success as Cease, who came in second in the AL Cy Young voting in 2022.
