The Braves have been linked to Dylan Cease for weeks now, and it seems probable that he will be dealt before the start of the season as the White Sox enter a rebuild.
Dylan Cease would be a home run acquisition for Alex Anthopoulos. Despite an up-and-down season in 2023, he has the stuff of a true ace, finishing second in the AL Cy Young race in 2022. Cease is also under team control for two more seasons, making him arguably the most coveted starting pitcher on the market.
There will be no shortage of suitors — especially after some more dominos in free agency begin to fall — which is the biggest obstacle the Braves will have to overcome. After completing two blockbuster trades for Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, their farm system isn’t anywhere close to what it once was. It’s in the bottom third of the league and is absolutely barren at the lower levels.
If the Braves are going to swing another massive trade for Dylan Cease, they will have to part ways with several of their top guys, which Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago confirmed.
The asking price for Sox pitcher Dylan Cease is very high ,and should be for two yrs control and $8 mil-contract.The Reds were asked for 4 top prospects including RHP Rhett Lowder and RHP Chase Petty. #9 and #11 position prospects as well.Sox will get more as market shakes out.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 6, 2023
It’s going to take several players to land a frontline starter with multiple years of control. It’s always been that way, and it’s not going to change for the Braves this offseason.
If Alex Anthopoulos wants Dylan Cease that badly, he will have to blow them away with an offer, likely including both Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver, and then some.
Waldrep and Smith-Shawver are the Braves two top prospects. They are oozing with potential and could be frontline starters one day. They could also bust out and never make much of an impact at the major-league level.
That’s the risk the Braves must take if they want to land a pitcher of Cease’s caliber. We’ll see if Anthopoulos is willing to gamble, but it should be noted that he’s been extremely accurate in trades before. Typically, the Braves hang onto the guys that pan out and trade players that end up busting. If the club keeps Smith-Shawver and Waldrep, it will tell us a lot about what they think of their potential.
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Photo: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire
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