Another team has entered the mix for Dylan Cease.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Braves have joined the Dodgers and “several others” who are engaged in trade talks for the right-hander’s services. As with the initial report of Los Angeles’ involvement, there’s no indication of how far along these discussions are at the moment.
The Braves and White Sox are no strangers when it comes to doing business with one another, as Aaron Bummer was just traded to Atlanta a few weeks ago. While the White Sox went for quantity over quality in that deal, they would likely look to gain some more talented prospects in return with Cease at the forefront.
As pointed out by our Jordan Lazowski in a recent article, the Braves are loaded with pitchers in their farm system. In fact, Atlanta’s top five prospects as ranked by Baseball America are all pitchers, which speaks to the overall strength of their development program. With names such as AJ Smith-Shawver (MLB’s No. 39 prospect, Atlanta’s No. 1) and Hurston Waldrep (MLB’s No. 95 prospect, Atlanta’s No. 2), the White Sox have the potential to land relatively advanced arms with front-of-the-rotation upside in a deal.
As indicated by Nightengale’s tweet, the Dodgers and Braves are not the only two teams who will be making a serious run at Cease. The Orioles and Cardinals are among some of the other clubs to keep an eye on, with the White Sox expected to send their right-hander to the highest bidder.
After a second-place Cy Young finish in 2022, Cease struggled throughout the 2023 season, finishing 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and a 27.3% strikeout rate. He has two full seasons of team control remaining, which continues to make him of such high value around the league.
As more information becomes available, we will continue to provide updates.
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Featured Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
